It's a sunrise here in the Srekpe, an agrarian community of the Central Tongu District in Ghana’s Volta Region. Vivian Zuworda Dasumor and her relatives set out to fetch water in a dam some two kilometres away from the community. 

They are compelled to travel the stretch over five times daily since the only borehole serving the community broke down a year ago. Unfortunately, they arrived same time a herd of over 50 cows got to the dam to quench their thirst after grazing in the fields. 

She laments they had to cope with the situation and share the dam - constructed by an individual - with the animals since they had no alternative.

They returned home with muddied water, allowed it to settle before using it for domestic chores. 

“We are compelled to put chemicals in the water to make it clean, though it may be harmful to our health, we have no option”, she elaborated. 

This occurrence affects the health of the residents and has a toll on the local economy, which has gari production as its nerve. 

Almost every household in Srekpe and it's surrounding communities engaged in gari processing. 

They must have access to potable water to use in the processing of their cassava, but this is not the case in Srekpe and surrounding communities. 

They are forced to use the unwholesome dam water to wash the cassava they use to produce the gari. 

“Because we can not get clean water to wash the cassava before processing, customers complained our gari looks dirty hence reject the supply”, Alice Kata grieved.

They also have to spend huge sums of money buying the dam water since they need it in large volumes for use. 

A 25 litres gallon of the dam water is sold at one cedi in Srekpe and a higher price at other distant communities. 

“We use the same water the animals drink, urinate and defecate in, but the grace of God is keeping alive. The water government officials use to flush their toilets is better than what we rely on here.

"We are appealing to President Akufo-Addo, his ministers and especially our Central Tongu DCE, to help us”, said Theodore Azebor, an opinion leader in Srekpe. 

Evans Azorme, who engages in the water selling business, says their prices will be affected by increased petroleum products. 

The residents are hopeful that the Adidome 5 District Water Supply Project would bring an end to their water plight. 

However, they would have to wait for about two years for it to manifest since phase 3 of the projects, which involves the main distribution, has just started. 

The water system, which is engineered to serve, Central Tongu, Agotime Ziope, Adaklu, North Tongu Districts, and parts of Ho Municipality, is already serving some 116 communities. 

According to the General Manager of the facility, Charles Adjei, Phase one and two of the project, which consists of the Construction of the intake, treatment plant, high-level tanks and some transmission lines, have been completed. 

He added that phase 3 of the project, which cost £11.5 million, took off in November 2020 and is expected to be completed in November 2022.

Phase 3 consists of mainly distribution, Srekpe and surrounding communities will surely be covered during this phase.