Mankpan, Central Gonja District, Savannah Region – Women and children in Mankpan are the hardest hit as a severe water crisis grips the community, leaving more than a thousand residents struggling to access clean drinking water.
The situation has worsened as the dry season intensifies, drying up the community’s main dam, which for decades served as the primary source of water for domestic and construction purposes. The dam also supported nomadic pastoralists and their animals.
With the dam now dry, residents are left with no reliable source of water. Many resort to scooping muddy and contaminated water from shallow areas and attempt to purify it with alum before use.
“We are worried about where we and our children will get water to break our fast this evening. All that is here is muddy water. Previously, we used to purify it with alum, but today’s situation is beyond that and we’re even fasting,” Ayi Dari, a resident, said.
The crisis has become even more difficult as it coincides with the holy month of Ramadan, forcing fasting residents to walk several kilometres to the riverside in search of potable water.
The shortage has also created an opportunity for private water vendors, who now sell a 25-litre jerry can of water for GH¢3. Residents say the price is high for a rural farming community already facing economic hardship.
Water vendor Yussif Yahuza Aware explained that transporting water from distant sources comes at a cost, hence the price.
The elderly and persons with disabilities are particularly affected, as many are unable to travel long distances to fetch water.
The Assembly Member for the Mankpan Electoral Area, Dari Yussif Dawuda, said the community has informed successive District Chief Executives about the situation, but no lasting solution has been provided.
He is calling on government, non-governmental organisations and development partners to urgently intervene with a sustainable water system.
Residents are also appealing to telecommunications companies to improve network coverage in the area, saying poor connectivity limits their ability to draw attention to their plight.
As the dry season continues, women and children in Mankpan remain at the centre of a crisis they say demands immediate action.