Residents of Nalung and Belpila in the Tamale South Constituency are calling on the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly and the Department of Urban Roads to urgently address the deteriorating condition of a major drainage system linking the two communities.
The residents fear that the choked gutter could trigger an outbreak of sanitation-related diseases, including cholera and malaria, as it has become a dumping ground for solid waste, human excreta and leftover food.
Sustainable Development Goals six (SDGs) 6 which focus on clean water and sanitation states that’ ’access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene is the most basic human need for health and well-being’’. Data from the United Nations shows that, in 2024, 3.4 billion lacked safely managed sanitation, and 1.7 billion lacked basic hygiene services at home.
The situation in Nalung and Belpila has exposed residents, especially children who plays around the gutter and business owners to unbearable stench, stagnant water and frequent flooding, particularly during the rainy season.
The residents say they can no longer endure the conditions and are urging the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly and the relevant authorities such as urban roads department to urgently reconstruct and desilt the drainage system to avert a possible public health crisis.
The drainage system, constructed in 2008 as a temporary measure to accommodate some resettled residents, has reportedly not undergone any major desilting or rehabilitation over the years.
Residents say several appeals and letters have been sent to the Northern Regional Department of Urban Roads and the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly, but they are yet to receive a response.
They are therefore demanding the reconstruction of the drainage system to protect their lives and properties.
One of the residents, Alhassan Imoro, who lives close to the gutter, says community members have made efforts to desilt some portions to improve water flow. ’’We have paid some people to desilt portions of the gutter for us’’, Mr Imoro said. The Assembly Member for the Dakpema Electoral Area, Yakubu Abdul Manan, says the situation has worsened partly because residents are reluctant to participate in communal labour.
According to him, community members believe that desilting exercises are now the responsibility of contractors engaged by the Assembly, making it difficult to mobilize them for communal sanitation activities.
Shop owners and other residents say the situation is affecting their businesses, health and general well-being. They are appealing to the authorities to intervene before the situation deteriorates further.
One shop owner, who expressed frustration over the poor sanitation conditions, alleged that traders pay between 100 and 150 Ghana cedis annually to the Assembly, but the drainage system remains unattended.
“It has been over three years since this gutter was last desilted. We pay between 100 and 150 cedis every year to the Assembly. Sometimes, when you fail to pay, revenue officers lock up your shop.
They come twice a year to collect the money. During the rainy season, the gutter overflows into our shops, and its unpleasant condition is driving customers away. I am appealing to the Assembly to come and desilt the gutter.”
Another resident, Mariama Mohamadu, says the situation poses serious health risks to households, particularly during the rainy season when floodwaters sometimes enter their bedrooms.
“This gutter poses a serious health hazard to us. During the rainy season, it causes flooding, and the water sometimes enters our bedrooms. The stench alone is unbearable.
During the dry season, the water becomes stagnant, creating a breeding ground for mosquitoes. We can hardly breathe fresh air. When it rains, people also throw rubbish into the gutter, worsening the situation”, Mariama Mohamadu stated.
