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| Picture Taken in Tessanor -Accrs |
Even
as shortage of water supply is getting severe by the day in the Greater Accra
Metropolitan Area (GAMA), the threat of cholera outbreak has a
potential of worsening the woes of residents.
Unplanned
visits to many of the suburbs in the metropolis have revealed a spectacle that
foretells that the annual threshold of cholera may be exceeded if concrete
measures are not pursued. Some residents (as depicted in the pictures)
are seen fetching water from open drains and other unhygienic sources. They
claim they have no alternative sources of water supply.
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| Picture taken in Tessanor- Accra |
Management
of the Ghana Water Company has announced a planned shutdown of the Kpong Water
Works. This will commence on Thursday, the 27th of February 2014. The
implication is that 40 million gallons
of potable water are going to be lost to the daily water supply, a situation
that will significantly worsen the already existing demand - supply gap of 57
million gallons per day.
The
city has not yet recovered from the week long water crises that have plagued
residents. Accra and its environs have been without water for almost one week
following the breakdown of the Weija Treatment Plant which contributes 53
million gallons to the city’s demand daily. Residents were assured the
crises would end on Tuesday, February 25, 2014 however a communications manager
at the GWCL revealed to a local radio station
that…. "It will take a bit of time, between 24 and 48 hours for the
situation to stabilize...Consumers should appreciate what we are doing".
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| A man fetching water near a pile of refuse : Picture taken in Nima |
Despite
all the widely available cholera awareness information many Ghanaians die of
cholera annually. According to WHO Cholera report in 2012, Ghana is among five
countries in Africa with worst cholera cases and case fatality ratio. Between
January and May 2012, a total of 3,216 cases and 28 deaths were reported from
20 districts. (WHO, 26 May
2012). The cholera cases and deaths increased steadily with the
rainfall pattern, resulting in 6,000 cholera cases with 69 deaths by the end of
August (IFRC, 4 Jan
2013)
As the
rainfall season draws nearer the inhabitants of the Greater Accra Metropolitan
Area face a high risk of cholera as most turn to unsafe sources for their water
needs.
ENOCH OFOSU
