Ghana: Acute Water Shortage Hits Manya Krobo

Residents of Manya Krobo in the Lower Manya Krobo Municipality have been hit by an acute water shortage for the past few days, following widespread illegal connections on the main lines that supply the municipality.

The situation has brought activities in the area to a standstill, as students of the various second cycle institutions and workers of both private and public institutions battle for a bucket of water, before either going to school or work.

In an interview with the Eastern File, the Communication Director of Klo Gbi, a pressure group in the Municipality, Mr. Tetteh Padi, said members of the group and residents of the area were saddened over the current water situation.

According to him, barely six months ago, residents of the area decided to embark on a demonstration to register their displeasure over the irregular supply of water, but the said demonstration was put on hold after the Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Enoch Teye Mensah, intervened.

“We clearly, can foresee the water problem taking a worse dimension even more than what was experienced in the month of May, which led to the near closure of schools and hospitals in the area, and a virtual stampede over water from boreholes and wells,” the Klo Gbi Director of Communications stated.

He explained that the Minister, at a closed door meeting held with the leadership of the group, gave the assurance that his office was committed to immediately addressing the situation, but nothing had since been done.

“After we had to shelve the intended demonstration, because of the intervention by the sector Minister, and the assurance that something was quickly going to be done, the problem remains virtually the same, as there is no end in sight,” he bemoaned.

The Klo Gbi Director of Communication expressed that notwithstanding that, the Krobo State hosts the Kpong Water Works, residents of the three Krobo areas, namely Yilo, Lower and Upper Manya, have not had continuous flow of water for even one month.

He attributed the problems to widespread illegal connections on the main line to the reservoir lines, which is only available to those who can pay, thereby depriving the majority of Krobos of the same water that is treated so close to them from the Kpong Water works.

The group has, therefore, called on the sector minister and bodies responsible to immediately address the situation, as residents of the area prepare for the annual celebration of the Ngmayem Festival, come October 19-26 this year.