Helping Small Communities Gain Access to Clean Water

Helping Small Communities Gain Access to Clean Water

The new small town water supply system is now providing over 3,000 Ntankoful residents with clean, safe water.
Located along the Tarkwa bypass on the outskirts of the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolitan area in Ghana, the 3,000 residents of Ntankoful have grappled with the issue of inadequate water supply for years. Residents, especially girls and women, had to draw unclean water from shallow wells or walked to fetch water from a nearby stream, which was also used by the adjoining Kansawrado community. Invariably residents suffered from many water-borne and water-related diseases like dysentery and cholera. Dominic Asmah Mensah, who is the Ntankoful Cluster of Schools Parent Teacher Association Chairman, attests that inadequate water in the community has translated into poor sanitation behaviours, especially among children.
With the extension of the USAID-funded Water Access, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH-UP) project into new communities like Ntankoful, residents began feeling hopeful that their living conditions would improve. The main challenge for the Ntankoful community is its distance from the main water distribution lines. As a result, the best solution for providing access to safe water was to drill a borehole. A borehole with good water yields was located in the community and developed into a small town water supply system. The system includes the borehole, pump house and back-up power generator, 1950 meters of distribution lines and six vending points. The system also includes two ground-level water storage tanks holding 10,000 liters of water each and a 100,000 liter capacity concrete storage facility located on a hill in the settlement.
Since the completion of the water supply system, life in Ntankoful has changed ;dramatically. Economically, the scheme has provided employment for nine residents who are paid from money accrued from selling water at the six vending points. The additional income that these residents earn has been by managing the vending points, has made a difference in their lives. Philomena Frane, one of the water vendors explains, “Before the water came, all I had was money from petty trading, which was insufficient and always put me in hard financial situations, but now I get extra from my job, which helps a lot to cater for my family’s needs. In fact, life is improving gradually for me.”
Community leaders have also reported significant reduction in the water-borne diseases in the area. The Parent Teacher Association chairman asserts that since its completion in February 2015, performance of pupils in the cluster of schools is improving due to better attendance. He continues, “Pupils no longer travel long distances to fetch water for the family before coming to school. So of late, they are punctual and attentive.” The water system has also been connected to the school to allow for better hygiene practices among the students.
A water and sanitation committee was formed to operate and manage the system. They report that in the first nine months, they generated GHC 9,500 (USD 2,500) from the sale of water to residents. Of this, they placed GHC 9,000 in to the committee’s bank account, while GHC 500 was paid to the utility company for running the system. The system manager, a former accountant, describes the system as very sustainable and says it is operating without a hitch, despite the erratic power outages that are experienced nationwide. The community has set a target of GHC 15,000 before embarking on expansion projects, with the priority being to extend the water system to Kansawrado, the adjoining settlement. Further, they agreed to utilize part of the proceeds from the system to expand school structures in the settlement. Another part will be used to sponsor gifted but needy pupils from the community through a scholarship fund.
In many ways, the Ntankoful small town water system has turned the key to unlock the potentials of this modest, quiet farming community on the outskirts of the bustling Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis.