Residents of Nayorigo and Tarongo-Awaa in Ghana's Bongo District are struggling to access clean water, with women and children walking kilometres daily to fetch water. The communities have only a handful of boreholes, which are insufficient to meet the growing population's demand. As a result, many families have resorted to open defecation due to the lack of household toilets. This situation has raised concerns about the risk of water-borne diseases.
The water crisis in Nayorigo and Tarongo-Awaa has severe consequences, particularly for women and schoolchildren. Residents say that even the few existing boreholes often fail to deliver water due to the area's low water table, forcing people to pump for several minutes before any water flows. This strain worsens during the farming season, when women must balance fetching water with farm work, sometimes leaving families without meals and affecting girls' school attendance.
Community advocate Edmond Atule Aduko highlighted the impact of the water shortage on healthcare delivery in the area. The only Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compound in the area lacks a dedicated water supply, forcing health workers to compete with residents for water at the community borehole. This situation particularly affects services for pregnant women and children, underscoring the need for urgent intervention.
Assembly Member McCarthy Aguyire suggested that some engineering problems with the boreholes may have arisen from drilling during the rainy season without proper consideration of the area's low water table. He appealed for technical and financial support to fix the situation. Meanwhile, residents in Tarongo-Awaa also voiced frustration over the water scarcity and inadequate sanitation, calling for a mechanised water system and more household toilets.
The water crisis has also affected livelihoods in the area, with residents like Theresa Ayamdoor calling for more water facilities to support dry-season vegetable farming. Community elder Anaba Wilson Asotanga emphasised the need for improved sanitation, warning that continued open defecation poses serious health and environmental dangers. Residents also requested dustbins and other waste collection materials to improve sanitation in the area.
The Civil Society Leadership Mobilising for Better Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Project, implemented by the Builsa Environmental and Water Development Association (BEWDA) and funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) through WaterAid Ghana, has been working to address these issues. The project has trained at least 100 community advocates across five districts and municipalities in the Upper East Region.
The project aims to build sustained community-level advocacy on water, sanitation, and hygiene issues tied to climate change. With the support of development partners, the Bongo District Assembly and other stakeholders are working to address the water and sanitation challenges in Nayorigo and Tarongo-Awaa. The residents' demands for boreholes, toilets, and a mechanised water system are expected to be considered in these efforts.
Key points
- Residents in Ghana's Bongo District face severe water scarcity and sanitation issues.
- The water crisis has severe consequences for women and schoolchildren, affecting their daily lives and livelihoods.
- Urgent intervention is needed to address the water and sanitation challenges in the area.
