An acute water shortage has gripped the Sunyani Municipality in the Bono Region, leaving taps in many homes dry for weeks and forcing residents to search frantically for water.
For the past two months, water supply to parts of the municipality has been erratic and unreliable, creating serious challenges for households, health facilities, schools and businesses.
Communities such as Penkwasi, Nkwabeng, Zongo, Abetifi Zongo, the Military Barracks, Estates and Abesim have been among the hardest hit, with residents describing the situation as unbearable.
The Ghana Water Limited (GWL), which supplies water to the area, has been unable to operate at full capacity due to high turbidity levels in the Tano River, the main source of raw water for the Sunyani treatment plant.
The pollution of the Tano and Bonso rivers has been linked to intensified illegal mining activities, popularly known as galamsey, along the upstream sections.
Residents say the muddy state of the rivers had disrupted treatment processes, leading to persistent supply interruptions across the municipality.
A resident of Estate, Ms Veronica Owusu, told The Ghanaian Times that the prolonged shortage had disrupted daily household routines and compelled families to spend long hours searching for water.
She lamented that for nearly a month, not even a drop of water had flowed through their pipes, adding that they had to spend hours each day looking for water before they could cook or bathe.
Another resident, Mr Kofi Owusu, a pharmacist, said the situation was taking a heavy toll on both homes and businesses that depended on regular water supply.
He noted that although the taps remained dry, water bills continued to arrive every month, forcing residents to rely on alternative sources at high cost.
“Sunyani’s growing cosmopolitan status, coupled with rapid population growth, has not been matched by a corresponding expansion in water infrastructure, further worsening the situation,” he noted.
When contacted, the Bono Regional Public Relations Officer of GWL, Nii Armah Abbey, attributed the situation partly to a technical fault, which he said was being addressed.
He assured residents that the company was working around the clock to improve production and restore stable supply to affected communities.
The Sunyani water system relies heavily on the Tano River as a major source of raw water for treatment and distribution to the municipality and surrounding areas.
However, the once clean river has become heavily polluted with muddy sediments and mining runoff as a result of illegal mining activities, raising concerns about the long-term sustainability of water supply and the environmental impact of galamsey.
Health experts have warned that if the shortage persists, residents could face outbreaks of communicable diseases as many households resort to unsafe water sources for domestic use.
FROM DANIEL DZIRASAH, SUNYANI
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