Teshie Telephone Pole residents appeal for urgent action over prolonged water shortage

In the Teshie Telephone Pole neighborhood of Accra, inhabitants are urgently seeking action to resolve a long-standing water scarcity that is adversely affecting their everyday routines and imposing a significant financial strain on families. For several months, taps have remained inactive for extended periods, with water deliveries being sporadic and of low pressure.

One resident informed JoyNews’ Evelyn Ampah that access to water is contingent upon waking up at irregular hours, as services are reportedly available only on Wednesdays and Thursdays. “If you sleep and cannot wake up early, you won’t have water,” the resident explained. As a result, many families have resorted to purchasing water from private tankers, a costly endeavor that is becoming increasingly untenable.

“There’s no money to keep buying it. Water is life,” remarked another resident. The scarcity has compromised basic hygiene for some residents, with a few even resorting to using seawater for bathing due to the unavailability of clean water. “The water crisis can be so severe that sometimes we do not even get water to bathe. We use detergent when we have to bathe with seawater because the bathing soap does not lather,” noted a shoe seller, who also disclosed that the water shortage has forced him to reuse the same water to wash his shoes for nearly two months.

Despite multiple appeals to local authorities and the area’s Member of Parliament, no satisfactory resolution has been reached. Residents are now urgently requesting Ghana Water Limited and other pertinent bodies to promptly investigate the root cause of the disruption and restore a dependable water supply before the situation exacerbates sanitation, hygiene, and livelihood challenges in the community.