Residents of Essaman in the Western Region now rely on dug wells miles away for drinking water as the world is trying hard to prevent the spread of the deadly pandemic, driving locals to desperate means of surviving because all three (3) boreholes in the community are not functioning
Meanwhile, both Ghana Health Service (GHS) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have recommended regular washing of hands under running water with soap as one of the surest means to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Sadly, the Essaman must walk about three kilometers to fetch 25 liters of water at a time.
With the advent threat of the coronavirus, women and girls must bear the additional burden of trekking for several trips just for the household to have an adequate supply of water for handwashing.
Delay in accessing safe water, apart from the health implications also threatens the livelihoods of smallholder farmers, and contributes to low levels of school enrollment, especially among girls who must fetch water for their families.
Apart from the long-distance, they must cover to fetch water, they also must climb hills before they could fetch drinking water from the only source within the community.
Ghana has since the outbreak recorded one hundred fifty-two confirmed cases, five deaths and two recoveries.
As a result, three Police Administrative Regions have been partially lockdown for two weeks starting March 30.
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