Residents of Asokwa, Maxima and Oforikrom are resorting to unhygienic sources following a water shortage blamed on repair works at the city’s water treatment sub-station.

In some areas like Oforikrom, Joy News’ Erastus Asare Donkor reports that they had dirty water briefly flow through their taps Tuesday after being without water for the past three days.

While in Asokwa, they have been without water for the past five days, other areas have been without water for the past one month.

“It has become very difficult doing the house chores, washing and cleaning. Even the water to bath is a problem and we don’t know what the problem is because we cannot continue to endure this,” one frustrated resident told the reporter.

Another resident said, “the situation is becoming dire for some of us as our children are skipping school because we cannot get water to bath them. Also, we cannot even go about our daily business because we cannot bath to step out to go about our business. We have to resort to sachet water which is really not helping issues.”

The Ghana Water Company Limited in the Ashanti Regional capital Wednesday, issued a press release signed by Samsom Ampa explaining their side of the story.

“Emergency maintenance works in the system could not be completed GWCL engineers yesterday [Tuesday] scheduled due to some technical challenges. However, our engineers are working hard to complete the work after which supply will be restored,” part of the release said.

In Ghana, close to six million people (nearly 22 percent) rely on surface water to meet their daily water needs, leaving them vulnerable to water-related illness and disease.

Further, water.org reports that 67 percent of Ghanaians lack access to improved sanitation or are entirely without toilet facilities.

The majority of households without access to safe water and sanitation lack the upfront funds needed to invest in their own solutions, the organisation said.

Consequently, those living in poverty often pay up to ten times more per liter for water service from private vendors than their middle-class counterparts connected to piped water services it said in its recent report.