For more than 20 years, the people of Totopey in the Ada East constituency have lived without access to safe and potable water.
What should be a basic right has become a daily struggle for life, with regular cases of cholera, diarrhoea and skin infections.
Located in Ada East and some three hours’ drive from Accra, survival in the fishing community means fetching water from the belly of the earth and praying it does not make you sick.
According to elders, this situation has persisted for over two decades with no solution.
Residents of Totopey have been digging holes near the sea to collect water that seeps in, using it without any treatment.
On my visit to the town, I came across Doris Sewu – a mother of four – who spends most of her productive hours storing water to take care of her kids.
“I have four children. In the morning, I have to fetch water early to prepare the two elderly ones for school. In the afternoon, I leave the younger ones in the house with their grandma to fetch again for use in the evening. It becomes very difficult each day,” she lamented.
This is not just about health, but also a dignity issue.
Doris exemplifies the life of women in this community who queue in the morning, afternoon and evening to fetch water.
“I don’t treat the water after fetching it. I only store it in the gallons for the debris to settle, before I use for cooking and other domestic chores. Sometimes, we fall sick but we don’t have a choice,” Doris admitted.
They are sometimes forced to buy sachet water for bathing, but that is a luxury for most.
So, they rely on what seeps out of the soil, unfiltered and untreated. The fishing community has two pipes, but the taps do not flow.
Diseases like cholera, diarrhoea as well as skin infections have become common in Totopey, and neighbouring towns.
Inquiries from Member of Parliament
The Member of Parliament for Ada, Comfort Doyoe Cudjoe, upon a visit to her office showed me letters, requests made and responses from state agencies in the past, which have all not yielded any result.
“It’s very pathetic seeing women digging holes to fetch water for their house chores. As a woman, I don’t feel comfortable,” she indicated.
The First Deputy Majority Whip said the situation is a real trouble for her.
“In the Eighth Parliament, I raised a statement on the floor of Parliament. Also, the Government Assurances Committee in 2022 called the sector ministers to come and answer questions whether the problem has been solved or not – they came up with a nice answer that they had fixed the problem.”
“So, in this ninth Parliament, I have been able to reach the Minister for Works, Housing and Water Resources and the responses I have received from the Ministry is very encouraging,” she revealed.
Samples tested
I took samples of the water to the Centre for Scientifc and Industrial Research (CSIR) for testing – and the results are troubling.
According to the Senior Research Scientist who doubles as the Head of Division, Environmental Biology, Biotechnology and Health at CSIR, the levels of pollution in the water from Ada Totopey are above the recommended levels by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA).
Dr. Mark Osa Akrong confirmed that the water is not safe for any potable use.
“Per the results from this sample, it shows that the water is not suitable for drinking purposes without any treatment,” he told TV3.
Mothers say the water is slowly killing them, yet they continue to fetch water from the same contaminated source.
Numor Akor is a resident and a mother who is struggling to cope with the situation.
“This is what we go through daily. It causes so must waist and knee pains, which affect how we’re able to prepare our children for school. We plead for help,” she noted.
In the week ending 13th June, officials of the Community Water Sanitation Agency visited the town in the company of the MP, and promised to ensure reliable and potable water flow in the area.
The Assemblyman is hopeful the situation will be addressed soon.
“I can’t say anything about time as of now, being it today or tomorrow or a year to get water. But the only thing we can do is to push the advocacy harder for the government to see that indeed we are in water crisis,” Prosper Puplampu said.
For Totopey and its environs, the Sustainable Development Goal 6 remains a mystery, clean water and sanitation have eluded them.
The community stands as a painful reminder of how some lives are lived far from the promises of progress.
“This is where I needed the government most; I needed the civil society most; I needed the ambassadors most and I needed the non-governmental organisations most,” Comfort Doyoe Cudjoe appealed for help.
Residents of Totopey in Ada East are not asking for luxury – just clean water, to live and to grow.
They still wait… for water, for help and for change.
