Kloma Hengme proposes ‘political solutions’ to Krobo water challenges

Krobo youth pressure group, Kloma Hengme Association has professed solutions to the age-old water challenges confronting various Krobo communities.

Contrary to the water rationing system currently in place to ensure the provision of potable water to residents in the affected communities, the Association opines that the only way to deal with the chronic water problems in the Krobo area is through what it terms as ''Political Solution.''

Chairman of Kloma Hengme, Isaac Tamatey Otu, speaking during a Stakeholder's meeting organized by the Ghana Water Company Ltd at the Tettey-Enyo Hall at Somanya, said, political commitment was required to address the age-old challenge regarding the rapid population increase in the area since the first pipes were laid.

“Our water problem in Krobo, is getting worse by the day because since the colonial era (christened "Guggisberg era), there has not been any infrastructural development to expand and rehabilitate our existing water distribution lines to increase the capacity of our water flow system,” said Mr. Tamatey adding that “the water infrastructure that was made to serve about 50,000 Krobos during the "Guggisberg era'' is still serving Krobos with a current population of about 300,000.”

According to the association, the nature of the water problem in the Krobo area demands that government must, immediately, invest funds to expand the current existing infrastructure to increase the capacity of existing distribution lines that supply water to residents from both the water treatment plant at Kpong and the water reservoir at Mountain Yogaga.

The Problem

Giving further details of the problem, the Chairman said, the Water plant at Kpong distributes water through a 10 inches pipeline to the reservoir at Mount Yogaga. When this water reaches this reservoir at Mount Yogaga, he continued, the reservoir now has to distribute water through a 12 inches pipeline to serve areas such as Asitey, Krobo Girls School, Adjikpo, Atua and adjoining areas.

As if that was not enough, the Yogaga reservoir, through another distribution line has to further distribute water through a 10 inches pipe line to serve Somanya and Sra and other adjoining areas.

In effect, the Chairman said, "the Yogaga reservoir receives water from just a 10 inches pipe line, but has to distribute water from its facility through a total of 22 inches pipeline. This is where the problem is. Yogaga always falls short of the needed pressure to serve water to all its dependent areas in Kloma."

Solution

On the effective solution to the Krobo water problem, Chairman Tamatey Otu said there is only one way to solve our water problem: ''A political solution''. Explaining further, he said government must invest funds to expand the existing infrastructure.

“Government must invest funds to increase the capacity of the distribution line that channels water to Yogaga which is 10 inches wide to at least 16 inches or more. These distribution lines are Guggisberg era lines when our population by then was lesser,” he noted.

Background

At the stakeholders’ forum, the regional manager of the Ghana Water Company Limited; Ing Asomani Nyarko, said the GWCL is embarking on Water Demand Management which involves water rationing in order to serve the large customers in the Krobo area.

According to him, “There is a deficit between water demand in the Krobo area and its supply." He also advised Krobo residents, as part of the water demand management, to store water when the taps are flowing for use when they are not.

The Stakeholder meeting was attended by the Eastern Regional Minister, Seth Kwame Acheampong, Municipal chief executives (MCEs) for Lower Manya Krobo and Yilo Krobo, Management of GWCL from both the region and municipalities, traditional leaders, security heads, Assembly Members, Opinion leaders, Political representatives, and the clergy among others.