GWCL water rationing affecting healthcare – Bolga Hospital

Management of the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital in the Upper East Region, have disclosed that, the recent water rationing by the Ghana Water company Limited, is affecting daily operations at the facility.

The facility now depends on the services of water tankers to assist its activities due to irregular supply of water from the Ghana Water Company.

The situation according to the Medical Director of the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital, Dr. Patrick Atobrah, is taking a toll on their daily operations especially delays in maternal and surgical operations.

He said although the hospital intends to construct additional boreholes to augment the situation, the rationing of water leaves them with no option except to buy from water tankers to render services.

“The water situation has not changed much, the water from the Ghana Water Company is very irregular, so we depend a lot more on tanker services that is what pertains now to offer services in the facility. We buy water most of the time through the tanker services, but the challenge is that, then you cannot get the water running through the taps, but we only pour the water into our poly-tank  for maternity and surgical operations. But we are considering getting some boreholes, the challenge has been getting a place to get enough water. As at now, we have dig two boreholes, but the yield is not enough so we will still depend on tankers services,” Dr. Atobrah stated.

Meanwhile, the Chief Managing Director of the Upper East Regional branch of the Ghana Water Company Limited, Kenneth Ennin, told Citi News the rationing of water to residents in the Bolgatanga Municipality and its environs, was due to high demand for water against supply capacity.

He said the influx of people from other districts of the region into the Bolga Municipality coupled with obsolete water treatment plants have necessitated the exercise.

“As far as the water supply situation especially Bolgatanga and others areas are concerned, we are able to supply an average capacity of four thousand cubic meters, but then, with the occasional conflict in Bawku there has been an influx of so many people coming from Bawku and other border towns coming to settle in Bolgatanga.”

“This means that, there now undue pressure on demand, so if you compare our situation of supplying 4,000.00 cubic meters of water against anticipated demand of 7,000.00 cubic meters, gives us a deficit of 3,000.00 cubic meters. The deficit has led to the rationing of water supply on daily basis in order to close the 3,000.00 cubic meters water supply gap, so we have zoned up all our catchment areas for the rationing exercise.”

Mr.  Ennin added that; even though his outfit is uncertain when the situation will return to normalcy, he appealed to government to urgently upgrade the water supply facilities in the region.

He also stated that, the VEA and Tono dams from where the treatment and supply of water for consumption take place, will be secured from any negative human activity.

Mr. Ennin expressed worry at the obsolete state of the 40-year old raw water line plant affecting the production capacity, but stressed that, efforts are far afoot to replace the plant for optimal production.

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By: Frederick Awuni/citifmonline.com/Ghana

Management of the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital in the Upper East Region, have disclosed that, the recent water rationing by the Ghana Water company Limited, is affecting daily operations at the facility. The facility now depends on the services of water tankers to assist its activities due to irregular supply of water from the Ghana Water ... Read Full Story