Mr. Gordon Asubonteng, Dormaa Central Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) was on Monday welcomed with a miniature-sized rubber bucket of brownish water at Benekwaakrom, a farming community in the Municipality.
The incident occurred during the MCE’s working visit to the place as part of a day working tour of four cocoa-growing areas in the Municipality.
The other communities were Asreso number one, Sukura and Ahogono.
Although, Mr. Asubonteng and his team of officials were later presented with a bowl of potable water, they were boldly confronted with the dirty water first by the inhabitants, to register their concern and displeasure about the Municipal Assembly’s failure to address the critical water situation in the area.
The unwholesome and unhygienic water was drawn from the only stream which served the community as the only major source of water for all purposes.
Madam Veronica Sekyeraa, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Women’s Organiser in the community lamented that the only borehole there had not been rehabilitated for many years, so “we buy sachet water far away from Dormaa-Ahenkro”, she added.
Madam Sekyeraa said inhabitants sometimes had to walk long distance to the nearest town, Nsesereso for water, for domestic and other uses, adding that she lost her first baby as a result of lack of transport to take her to the nearest health facility located at Nsesereso, when she was about to deliver.
The precarious water situation in the area forces teachers out of the town, while others refuse to accept postings to the area, due to lack of means of transport, electricity and water, she said..
Mr. Asubonteng urged them to exercise restraint, while government took steps to solve problems confronting deprived communities in the country, such as the provision of roads, water and electricity.
He explained that the Municipality’s capacity to provide social infrastructure to deprived communities was heavily dependent on budgetary allocation to it.
The MCE promised to supply members of the cocoa spraying gangs in the area with bags of fertilizers to improve their yields of cocoa, and therefore warned the cocoa farmers not to give bribes to any extension officer, or COCOBOD official, in exchange for fertilizer, since supply of inputs was free.
Mr. Asubonteng urged them to provide 10 men for screening by the Police to form members of their neighbourhood watchdog committee to enhance security in the area.
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