Water Scarcity Hits Chamba Community

Water is now a scarce commodity at Chamba in the Northern Region following the break down of majority of boreholes in the area which are more than two decades old.

The problem has been further compounded by the drying up of a dam in the community that serves as its main water source.

Joy News’ Joseph Opoku Gakpo who visited the community reports the residents are unhappy.

“We don’t have any other source of water,” a resident told Joy news.

Chamba is a village near Bimbilla in the Nanumba North District. It has a population of more than 10,000 people. The community has about 14 boreholes serving the thousands of people.

But more than half of that is broken down following their continuous use for about 20 years, and the rest are usually under pressure. They thus break down frequently even after repair.

Majority of the residents are thus forced to rely on a dirty dam in the area for their daily chores which they share with animals. It’s supposed to be filled to the brim to the level of the shrubs.

But it’s dry most of the times. And mud is all that is left. And the drying up of the dam has left the residents with no water.

“The water is not even good but this is the only source of water. We have no other place. Isn’t it pitiful that I have to drink from this dirty dam?” another resident said.

“Anytime we take it, the people force sick….So we are suffering. Stomach pains and many of us are running diarrhoea. So we are appealing to government, we are on our knees. Government should feel pity for us and give us water,” a woman farmer noted.

Assembly member for Chamba West Electoral area Biwati David Nyadzedo says the community needs more boreholes and the dredging of the dam itself.

“We need water, that’s all. If we get clean water to drink, we will not fall sick. If we will get more boreholes to add to the few that are there, we will like it,” he said.

“But if we will also get pipe borne water, we will also be happy about that. And our dam which we drink with the animals, it should be distilled. It is now shallow,” he appealed.

Below is a link to a video report of the story