N/R Communities in the Sagnarigu Municipality share water with animals

As the world celebrate world water day yesterday some communities, namely Taha, Bunyilli and Kpawomo in Tamale North constituency of the Sagnarigu Municipality in the Northern region, share the same source of drinking water with animals.

The residents who are predominately farmers and petty traders, have to use the same water body with these animals. According to them, their only source of water is the polluted dam, of which they have no choice but to drink from because they have no alternative. Most of the other water bodies in the community have already dried up, leading to both humans and animals sharing the only water body, which has taken on a brownish colour and is located about 3 kilometers away from most residents. Residents of the community have been left with no choice than to drink raw, untreated water from the dam which it shares with cattle on a daily basis.

Health issues and northern drought

The animals defecate and urinate in the water, but the people say they are left with no choice but to depend on the dam as it remains the only source of water for them. The health implications of sharing the water with the animals are that the water will cause water born disease in various communities. According to Water.org in Ghana, close to six million people (nearly 22 percent) rely on surface water to meet their daily water needs, leaving them vulnerable to water-related illness and disease. Changing rainfall patterns due to climate change is affecting rural livelihoods in the three northern regions. In most rural communities in the North, streams and dams are the only sources of water. However, during the dry season, these water bodies dry up, leaving residents to walk a long distance to access water.

Call for good drinking water

Residents appeal to the government, stakeholders NGOs and individual to take their story as a matter of urgency to come to their aid to help them get safe drinking water to save them from contracting waterborne diseases.

This story was written by Mark Sandow, community development journalist from Krachi Nchumburu district in the Oti region. The reason for publishing this story is to show the current drought problems residents are facing in Northern Ghana. Since this is a website for local news and community development in the rural area of Ghana, it fits the scope of communitywatchdoggh.com.