Acute Water Shortages Hit Offinso North � After A Truck Fell On The Main Pipeline

The Offinso North District of Ashanti Region has been experiencing acute water shortages for the past three months, due to the damage caused to the main pipeline linking the Tanoso Head works in the Techiman municipality of Brong-Ahafo Region, to some of the communities in the district. Though the Tanoso Headworks is located in the Brong-Ahafo region, it mostly serves major towns and villages in Ashanti Region, including Akomandan, Afrancho and Nkenkensu. Former President Jerry John Rawlings commissioned the project in October 9, 1996, to serve parts of Techiman and Ashanti Region, due to the outbreak of Cholera at that time. A Burkina Faso bound Cargo Truck, loaded with logs on January 31, 2014, reportedly had a brake failure whilst descending a hill and damaged the main pipelines linking the communities. The Acting Station Manager of the Tanoso Head Works, Mr. Andam James-Kennedy, told The Chronicle that when a similar accident occurred sometime ago, the Ghana Water Company Limited have to struggle to mobilize funds to repair the broken pipeline to restore supply of water to the district. Mr. Andam disclosed that the Tanoso Head works supply the Offinso north district with over 850 meter cubic of water daily. He noted that though the damage to the pipeline has seriously affected the people, the GWC had also been hit because they are losing substantial revenue. Mr. Andam regretted that two months after raising GH�97, 000 to repair the damaged pipelines, another truck damaged it again, thus affecting water supply to all the towns and villages in the Offinso North district. He noted that delay in the repair of the damaged pipeline would defeat the purpose for which Tanoso head works was constructed to supply water to the people. A visit to the area by The Chronicle revealed that the people travel several miles before getting access to safe drinking water, with motor tricycles cashing in on the situation. It was revealed that tricycle operators charge a minimum fee of GH�10 per truck of treated water load. Those who cannot afford it depend on private boreholes and streams. School children have to struggle to join long queues before fetching water to bath. But despite all these difficulties, it is still unknown when the damaged pipeline would be repaired for regular supply of water to resume. The District Chief Executive for Offinso North, Samuel Appiah Kubi described the situation as unbearable, but said some urgent measures had been instituted to reduce the burden of the people. According to him, the Assembly had contracted suppliers to supply water to all Hospitals and clinics within the district, a development, he noted, is draining the coffers of the assembly. Mr. Samuel Appiah-Kubi said he had consulted the Ghana Water Company Management in both Ashanti and Brong-Ahafo regions, on how best the problem could be solved to avoid future occurrence. He called on the people of the district to be a bit patient and collaborate with the Assembly to resolve the problem quickly to ease the hardship and frustrations that the shortage has caused.