No water for Akwapim schools

Students are, therefore, forced  to rely on water from  streams  for  bathing, washing and, in extreme situations, drinking.

As a result of the use of untreated water from  streams, students often suffer form  skin  rashes and are also exposed to snake bites as they go in search of water.

Some boarders  also take advantage of the situation to roam in town under the pretext of  searching for water.

The Mampong Presby Senior High School, Mampong has two boreholes, yet students regularly have to go in search of water  for their chores.

Some students interviewed said with no water available to them, they relied on all manner of sources of water in the community, including one which they could only reach by climbing a mountain.

“After such a journey with a bucket of water on our heads, we become so tired but have to rush to class or prep,” one student lamented. 

The situation was not different at the H’Mount Sinai SHS, Akropong where Rita Fafali, the Girls’ Prefect, said the school’s boreholes were  mechanised but the pumping machines  broke down often, while power outages also  prevented  the students  from getting reliable supply of water.

Rita said  under the circumstances, students  were forced  to   buy a bucket of water at 20Gp and  a gallon for  30Gp, thereby putting a strain on their finances.

“We also rely on a nearby stream,  which sometimes dries up  and also opens us up to frequent snake bites. Yesterday, for instance, a student was bitten by a snake and had to be rushed to hospital,” she complained.

Esther Afrakoma Boateng, an SHS Two student of Okuapeman SHS, Akropong said the school had constructed and mechanised a number of boreholes for use by students  but  water flows into the water tank only for 15 minutes, a situation which makes students   queue up for  long hours waiting to fetch water.

A teacher of the school, Mr Chris Tedeklu, said the water from a particular borehole contained too much iron which reacted with metal buckets, clothes, etc, for which reason it could only be useful in the lavatories.

Meanwhile, the situation at the Mampong School for the Deaf  was better.

 According to the Headmaster, Mr Emmanuel Afenu, the school had two boreholes, with one out of order, while the one in the dormitory provided  enough water  for the students and so they did  not have to go out in search of water.

Story by Hannah A Amoah/Junior Graphic