Every day, residents of the Parambo-Sawaba community in the Pru District of Brong Ahafo Region wake up to share their only source of drinking water – the Volta Lake with animals whilst a water treatment plant which has been serving the community for several years rots away, Today can report.
These animals, including cattle, goats do not only drink from the Volta Lake, but they release fecal matter into it leaving the river polluted all the more, a situation residents have admitted has contributed to a good number of sickness in the area.
The Parambo- Sawaba Water Treatment Plant which used to serve water for the residents of the area, Today gathered has been there unrepaired since it became non-functional over eight years ago.
As a result of this, the community which has a population of about 17,000 and, are predominately farmers and petty traders, have no other choice than to compete with animals for water from the Volta Lake.
“That has been the case all this while, since the water treatment plant was abandoned in 2010 after its pump was destroyed”, resident who gave her name as Abenaa Korkor told Today in an interview via telephone at the weekend.
The water treatment plant which cost about GHC189,000 was built in 2006 and, was expected to supply 2,000 gallons of water daily for the community.
In 2015, Parambo- Sawaba community recorded 32 Cholera cases, claiming 13 lives, a situation that could have been avoided.
Speaking to journalists, the Assembly Member of the area, Suleiman Yusuf Baadi said, the situation was having a dire consequences on the township.
“This nice water treatment plant has been abandoned all these years. The residents of Parambo-Sawaba have to drink raw water from the Volta Lake. In 2015 there were many deaths here because of the outbreak of cholera in the community,” Mr. Baadi revealed.
To this end, Mr. Baadi urged government to intervene in the situation by fixing the water treatment plant in the area so as to avoid any calamity in the future.
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