Recent intermittent power cuts have led to acute water shortage in parts of Kumasi.
Students of Ahmadiyya Senior High School have, for the past three days, been bearing the brunt of the shortage as they have to move outside campus in search for water everyday.
The hunt for water begun for these students at 3am on Thursday, February 15.
They had to move from one place to the other to access the precious commodity at all cost, else they won’t be able to take their bath and maintain good hygiene especially, for the girl-child.
“I’m in my menses and I can’t go to the classroom without bathing. So, I have to go every length to search for water. I’ve walked for more than an hour before getting here”, a student, Pokuaa Nyamekye shared her frustration.
According to the senior high school students, they occasionally experience water shortage, but this week has been the worst.
“We had to come all the way here because there is no drop of water in the school. Some had to even take their bath at the Kumasi mall”, Kelvin Owusu, another student said.
The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) is following up to ensure water is restored to the school and all affected areas.
Richard Asiedu says the Commission has been engaging the Electricity Company of Ghana and Ghana Water Company Limited to seek answers.
“Most areas within the Greater Kumasi have been experiencing power outages since Saturday. The ECG said it is as a result of a cable blast at their substation in Anwomaso and efforts to fix it are underway.
“For water company too, because they rely on electricity to pump the water, the power outage has led to production deficit, but they’ve assured that it will be resolved soon.”
“We, as a regulatory body, will continue to monitor and ensure all these issues are resolved”.
The utility company has assured that water would be restored by the close of Thursday barring any unforeseen circumstances.
But until then, getting access to water for bathing and other activities is considered a luxury for these students.
By Ibrahim Abubakar
