The residents of Kantu community in the Wa West District say inadequate potable water sources in the area have a grave toll on their socio-economic lives, as productive hours are spent searching for water for domestic use.

According to them, women and girls in the community bear the brunt of the water access challenge since they are responsible for providing water for their families.

Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at the community, Ms. Monica Yiriwele, a resident, said the situation adversely affected women’s economic activities and the education of girls in the community.

She said women and girls spent hours queuing at the only functional borehole in the community to fetch water for their families before they could engage in any other activities.

The community, with a population of about 600, depended on only two boreholes for water for both domestic use and livestock. However, one of the boreholes could not yield enough water to meet their needs.

In critical situations, their livestock—cattle, sheep, and goats—had to access water from the Black Volta, which was about 3 km from the community. Some of the animals got lost in the process.

“The water situation here is creating enmity among us, especially among the women, because we sometimes quarrel over who is to fetch first and who follows.

“Sometimes, you can go to the borehole as early as 6 a.m., and by the time you return home, it will be around 8 a.m. to 9 a.m.,” Yiriwele lamented.

The residents indicated that schoolchildren sometimes missed lessons because they spent much time competing for water at the borehole.

Anas Yaraa, another resident, stated that the situation was affecting their livestock production and appealed for an additional borehole to reduce their challenge in accessing potable water in the community.

Meanwhile, Abudi Abu, the Assemblyman of the Wechiau Electoral Area, confirmed the situation to the GNA and said it was dire during the dry season.

“During the rainy season, they depend on a nearby stream, but in the dry season, they struggle a lot,” he stated.

Abu said he had raised the issue at Assembly meetings and reported it to the Wa West Member of Parliament (MP) but was yet to receive any positive response.

He said he was liaising with other non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working in the Wa West District, including Plan International Ghana, and was hoping the NGOs would intervene.

Development advocates argue that the importance of universal access to safe and potable drinking water for all citizens cannot be underestimated in the development of a country.

Goal 6 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) seeks to “Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all” by 2030.

Target 6.1 of the goals states: “By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all.”

However, the 2021 Population and Housing Census report indicates that 87.7 percent of households in Ghana have access to basic drinking water services, with 96.4 percent in urban areas and 74.4 percent in rural areas.

In the Upper West Region, basic water service access was 78.0 percent—93.2 percent in urban areas and 70.9 percent in rural areas.