Water Shortage hits Mampong

Mampong (Ash), Dec. 29, GNA - The Sekyere West District Assembly (SWDA) has made an appeal to the Minister of Workers and Housing to come to the aid of the Asante Mampong people by expanding the water system, which serves a population of 50,000 people.

The appeal was contained in a release dated December 23, and signed by Mr Thomas Edward Atakorah, the District Chief Executive. It was made against the background that the water system, which was constructed about 40 years ago was now able to meet only 30 percent of the water demand of the people in the area.

This, the release attributed to the age of the pumping machine, which breaks down constantly and the small size of the pipes from the pumping station for distribution, leading to acute shortage of water in various sectors of the community, including Mampong District Hospital. It further added that the situation had adversely affected operations at the hospital forcing doctors to refer even minor surgical cases to Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), sometimes resulting in avoidable death of patients.

According to the statement it was for this reason that doctors at the hospital had threatened to abandon the hospital if nothing was done about the water situation.

It was also observed that educational institutions in Mampong were contending with perennial water shortages, resulting in students in boarding houses of the various institutions combing the town for water at the expense of their academic work.

The statement mentioned that the assembly, in the effort to address the water situation at the hospital, provided overhead water storage tanks at a cost of 25 million cedis.

The objective was not achieved since water had seized to flow to the hospital for use and storage.

Mr Kwaku Owusu Agyeman, District Manager of Ghana Water Company, when contacted stated similar reasons as the cause of the acute shortage of water in Mampong.