Atebubu in the Brong Ahafo region has seen an increase in water-related diseases over the past year resulting in several deaths; majority of them being children.

Health officials warned the situation could escalate as residents continue to fetch and use water from the contaminated river they share with cattle and other animals.

Medical Officer and Clinical Coordinator at the Atebubu District Hospital, Dr. Rahman Quantson says the area has been recording an upsurge in water-borne diseases; especially cholera, which he describes as worrying.

“Last year, for instance, there was a surge in cases. We even recorded some mortality as a result. The situation is bad. We have been educating them and hope things get better,” Dr. Quantson revealed.

Typhoid, gastro haemorrhagic fevers and cholera topped the list of water-related conditions that are plaguing residents in the area.

 “There is quite an increase in typhoid, gastro hemorrhagic fevers and cholera. These conditions are purely from contaminated water,” Dr. Quantson said.

Residents have for some time now been fetching water from a pond they referred to as “dam” for both domestic and commercial use.

The dam is usually filled with flood water full of mud and other debris, including human excreta as some residents attend nature call openly nearby.

Though the local assembly provided the Atebubu community with boreholes, they are ineffective; almost all of them have broken down.

The ‘dam’ now has to meet the high demands from humans who need it for drinking, washing and also to nourish their crops and livestock as well.

Though residents say they are aware of the implications of the use of the untreated water, there is little they can do.

For instance, a woman, Akosua Bofah, who is fond of bathing her one-year-old daughter directly in the ‘dam’ admitted that she knew the consequences of her actions.

“I know my daughter can get sick but we are limited with options,” Bofah said.

According to the Ghana WASH Project, one out of four people in rural communities in Ghana have no access to safe drinking water.

The Water Sector Monitoring Platform puts coverage rate for water in rural Ghana at about 63.7 percent as at 2013.

However, the situation is even worse in Atebubu where water is a scarce commodity for the predominantly farming community. Residents spend at least GHc4 on each “Kufuor gallon” of untreated water they buy from water tankers.

One of the busiest suppliers is Seidu Ibrahim Baba Gida, who spends all day selling unwholesome water to residents in a water tanker truck.

“Looking at the colour of the water, I know it is dangerous to their [residents] health but that is the only source of water. People fill their poly tanks with it. Chop bar operators are our major clients,” Baba Gida said.

For residents, only a miracle can save them from their current precarious situation whilst health authorities are beside themselves with worry.

Officials of the District Assembly were unavailable for comment during the visit.