Tamale, Oct 01, GNA - The 2010 Population and Housing Census (PHC) in the entire Northern Region has grind to a halt because copies of "PHC1A" questionnaire had run short of supply.

Mr. Thomas Azoure, Northern Regional Statistician in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Tamale said the shortage of the PHC1A questionnaire was anticipated on Sunday, 26 September when the census started because those materials were few. He said based on the anticipated shortage, he made a request to Accra for immediate dispatch of 193,400 PHC1A questionnaires as a short-term measure for the census to go on unimpeded. Mr. Azoure said that request was not granted and he had to make several other requests all to no avail adding, he had since told all the enumerating officials to continue numbering houses that have not yet been numbered to make do with the time lapse.

He said the issue of the shortage of the questionnaire was a national problem affecting almost all parts of the country stressing that, "The issue is beyond me, I have tried my best, I have made several requests but I have not receive any positive response". The Regional Statistician however indicated that he is still waiting to receive a beef-up from Accra to continue the exercise adding, the region has about 3,868 enumeration areas some of which are in the "over-seas" areas.

When the GNA contacted Yakubu Peter Awusi, Census Supervisor for the Mankarigu Area in the West Gonja District, he said work came to a stand-still since two-days ago.

He explained that he has five Enumerating Officials, each of whom were given ten copies of PHC1A questio nnaire but exhausted them on Monday and they have since been idle.

He said the Mankarigu is an over-seas area with some communities like Bombom, Sangya, Napengu, all cut-off and could not be reached without the use of life jackets.

Mr. Awusi said he requested for the life jackets but they have not been given yet adding that without the life jackets, the enumerators had declined going there even if copies of questionnaire were supplied.