Guinea Worm Disease Looms In Wenchi As residents Drink Water With Animals

Dangerous guinea worm disease is waiting to strike residents in Buasu Kwame Pinsang Electoral Area in the Wenchi Municipality of the Bono Region as they are forced to drink from contaminated water sources.

The affected villages are Kannease No1, Kannease, Gambia, Atakorakurom, Osei Kurom, Dan Nyame, Nyame Bekyere and Pretua.

The information available to Soireenews indicates that due to the lack of access to potable drinking water in these villages, the natives drink from a dam water source partly filled with muddy and pond scum. Students abandon classes while women lose many productive hours, in search of water which they treat with ashes before human consumption.

The dam which was dug out in response to an ever-increasing demand for drinking water for use by residents is currently shared by both humans and animals, particularly cows, goats, and sheep.

According to residents' accounts, the contaminated dam has been their only source of water for years now. They have appealed to the Wenchi Municipal Assembly and their Member of Parliament (MP) for assistance but no positive results have been yielded.

The Assembly Member for the Area, Mr. Emmanuel Dekyi disclosed that several petitions have been submitted to  NGOs but they always say "It is in the pipeline."

He mentioned that the construction of boreholes in four villages in the area will put a halt to the bad situation.

The residents however have appealed to the government and all stakeholders for assistance.

Freeman Koryekpor Awlesu/Greater Accra Regional Chief Correspondent