Relief for Abuorso community -Mechanised borehole provided to end potable water challenge

Abuorso, a small farming community with a population of about 1,573 inhabitants, mostly farmers and traders, lies in the forest belt of the Fanteakwa North District in the Eastern Region.

In view of its location in the hinterland, it is grappling with many challenges such as the lack of potable water for the inhabitants and schoolchildren of its only basic school, Abuorso R/C Primary and Junior High School (JHS). The school currently has over 200 pupils.

The community also has difficulties in communication since there is no reception for any of the telecommunication networks.

Apart from that, the road linking the community with the adjoining towns, villages and hamlets is in a bad state.

Foodstuffs 

This makes it almost impossible for farmers and traders to transport farm produce such as maize, cassava, plantain, cocoyam and vegetables such as onions, cabbages, carrots, pepper and tomatoes from Abuorso and nearby Dedeso to the market centres, especially Begoro, the capital of Fanteakwa North, for sale.

This is because Abuorso does not have a modern market to enable traders to go about their trading activities without hindrance.

The only market in the town is not in good shape and does not also have security to protect both buyers and sellers.

As a result, armed robbers have been terrorising all those doing business at the trading post.

The armed robbers usually operate during the town's market days, which are Tuesdays and Saturdays.

The armed robbers have been using the Abuorso-Dedeso stretch of the road which is also bad, in their operations and they rob farmers, traders, buyers and drivers conveying the foodstuffs to and from the market.

This has led to the buyers and sellers virtually abandoning the road and the market, thus almost turning the market into a ghost town.

Another major issue facing the community is the lack of potable water, as the only stream, Amanfrom, is under a bridge and heavily polluted.

This makes it unsafe for drinking and other household chores such as cooking, bathing and washing.

The only borehole available in the community to provide safe drinking water cannot meet the demand of the inhabitants in view of their large numbers.

A non-governmental organisation dedicated to the welfare of children and the vulnerable in society, World Vision Ghana, realising the difficulties that the inhabitants of Abuorso were going through, immediately intervened by providing a solar-powered mechanised water system with an overhead polytank, with the support of World Vision Korea.

The facility has five water pumps each with two heads placed at vantage points in the town including the basic school.

This has made it convenient for the residents, especially pupils, to draw potable water, thereby ending lateness for classes.

Before then pupils had to spend hours in search of water and so reported late for classes.

The overhead polytank which stores and distributes water to parts of the community

Partners 

At a ceremony to officially hand over the facility to the community last month, the Board Chairman of World Vision Ghana, Baffour Otu Boateng, said the organisation had been working closely with its partners to operate in many parts of Ghana.

He said his outfit which is a Christian organisation with the love for people, had the objective to cater for the vulnerable, especially children in remote communities.

Mr Boateng stated that when the inhabitants of Abuorso called for help from World Vision Ghana, the organisation did not hesitate and after identifying their needs, entered into partnership with the people who provided labour to provide their needs.

Their needs, he said, were in the areas of education, water and sanitation as well as health care.

Mr Boateng indicated that the new water facility would therefore be of tremendous benefit to the town and those yet unborn.

The World Vision Ghana Board Chairman appealed to the chief and people of Abuorso and its surrounding communities to make good use of the facility to serve its intended purpose for a long period.

He also entreated the local management committee formed by the community to manage the affairs of the new water facility to ensure that the facility was regularly maintained.

The unwholesome stream under the bridge which hitherto served the water needs of the people of Abuorso

Rocky nature 

The Director of Vision Fund of World Vision, Jonas Sowah Quaye, said due to the rocky nature of the town's location, it would be difficult to sink an ordinary borehole, hence the construction of the mechanised water system.

The District Chief Executive (DCE) for the area, Charles Oware Tweneboah, who was highly elated about the provision of the water facility asked chief, elders and the people to take good care of the facility.

He commended World Vision Ghana for providing a mechanised water system for the town to address its numerous challenges, including pupils' lateness for classes.

The Odikro of Abuorso who is also the Werempehene of Begoro, Nana Appiah Antwi, assured the donors that the facility would be taken good care of to serve its useful purpose.

He thanked the organisation for coming to the aid of the community.

People suffering 

Elvis Korletey, a resident of the town who is also the leader of the local management committee of the facility, told the Daily Graphic that the people had suffered for many years because of the lack of potable water.

He said the provision of the new water facility would bring to an end, sicknesses such as cholera, bilharzia, dysentery, malaria and guineaworm, which in the past plagued inhabitants of the community.

Mr Korletey assured World Vision Ghana that he would ensure that the new water facility was regularly maintained.

He also spoke about the operations of armed robbers in the area which had put fear into farmers, traders and drivers plying the road between Abuorso and Dedeso.

No phone network 

Regarding the bad telecommunications network in the area, Mr Korletey stated that the situation had driven away health professionals posted to the area and new ones were also not willing to accept postings to the area. 

Another resident, Kwadwo Asare, who sells ‘over the counter' medicine, said armed robbers had been terrorising the people for the past 10 years and that had negatively impacted buying and selling in the town's market.

A third year pupil of the Abuorso R/C Junior High School (JHS), Grace Nartey, was happy about the provision of the water facility, which she said would put to an end the incidence of reporting late for classes because water would be always available.

She also indicated that the availability of water would now prevent them from going home during class hours to clean themselves after attending nature's call.

That, Miss Nartey explained, was because the school now had water for that purpose, apart from drinking.

Writer's email: haruna.wunpini@graphic.com.gh.