Water they say ‘is life’ but that is not the case in the Guunayili community in the Tamale south constituency.
Residents in the community in the Northern Region predominantly farmers have been competing with animals for water over decades now.
The community which is about four miles away from Tamale Metropolis can only boast of a dugout serving the community of a population of about five thousand.
A visit to the community by a Zaa News team to discover the challenges confronting community members saw women fetching water from the dugout which is distant from their various homes.
The road leading to the dam site is in a terrible state as residents will have to struggle to access the dam anytime it rains.
A community member, Abu Alhassan Baako in an interaction with Zaa News’ Lilian Walter said the dam also serves as the only source of water for animals in the area, which urinate and defecate in it anytime they have their fill, exposing the residents to water-borne diseases.
Mr Alhassan Baako said they have been drinking the untreated water for the past years because they have no means of treating it.
‘’We are drinking this water plus the cattle and our ladies go to the dam and the animals are there they will wait for them to finish drinking before they can also fetch the water”.
According to him, children in the community attend school late anytime the dam dries up because they will have to trek to Datoyili, a community which is miles away from Guunayili in search for water.
Apart from the health implications, the current situation also comes with financial burden on the inhabitants who are subsistence farmers as most of them who cannot walk to the dam site spend money hiring the services of tricycle to fetch water for them.
He noted the dam also serves as a water source for building and construction works in the community, saying nobody can build a house without fetching water from the dam.
He indicates the Member of Parliament for the area is aware of the problem but is yet to come to their aid.
He has therefore called on individuals, NGOs and philanthropists to support the community with portable drinking water.
Assembly member for Fooshegu-Guunayili electoral area Ibrahim Baba responding to the water situation said plans are in place to provide the community with portable drinking water.
Lilian D.Walter
Thanks for sharing this piece.
However, a few things for your improvement:
“Residents cries” is incorrect; “residents cry” is correct;
“Portable water” in this context is wrong; it should be “potable water”; and
“boost” is wrong in this context; it should be “boast”.
We thank you for your contribution.