“The last time I chanced on this ancient technology but not huge like this type of water pump constructed on a well was in the late 90s in my village, Bongo in the upper east region. In those years, the struggle for water was for the survival of the fitters in society, residents exchanged blows before fetching water at dawn from Wells that were closed overnight with a lock and key but I thought days were over until I visited Zooribisi community in my quest to identify problems rural folk face in the region”
This was the observation made by A1 News Samuel Mbura when he visited Sumbrungo -Zooribisi community in the Bolgatanga Municipality of the upper east region.
Residents in this community have been relying on an old age technology where a huge heavy wheel is fitted on a pivot with a handle for circling. One has to circle this wheel for about 10 minutes before the water drops from the pump.
“I took my turn to revolve this wheel to have an experience of how stressful residents here go through before getting water from this pump… within five minutes, I started grasping for breadth because the wheel was very heavy “ Samuel Mbura noted
Interacting with some of these residents, they indicated that they have never tasted or enjoyed potable water even though they are part of the Bolgatanga Municipality and vote in every election year.
An alternative source of water is one of the tributaries to the Vea Dam which is mostly polluted, In view of this, they said communicable diseases mostly cholera and guinea worm were very common in the community.
“We the women in this community suffer a lot, especially in this dry season… we have to queue before we get water for our domestic use and sometimes we are forced to go and fetch water from the stream that gives our children diarrhoea “ a resident who gave her name as Assibi lamented
“Had it not been the spillage of the Vea Dam, we wouldn’t have gotten water in our stream this year because during the dry season the stream often dries up, thereby making life unbearable for us especially women” Nsoh an Opinion Leader in the community explained
He indicated that several appeals have been made to their district assembly through their assembly member but all have yielded no fruits.
They, therefore, pleaded with government and any charitable organisation to come to their aid.
Meanwhile, some cattle were left thirsty on a hot afternoon of about 38 degrees Celsius as a result of water not adequately flowing from the pump to fill basins and overflow through to the water collection point for animals.
Source:a1radioonline.com/Samuel Mbura
