WATER SECURITY

Fresh water is crucial to human society, not just for drinking but also for farming, washing and many other activities. The main source of drinking water is pipe borne followed by sachet.

Water delivery for domestic and industrial purposes is supplemented by rain harvesting, rivers, streams and dug-outs. The River Densu is the main source that supplies water for treatment and delivery to the municipality and satellite communities. Rainwater harvesting is carried out basically at household level and in few institutions even though the option is viable in view of the high rainfall pattern in the Municipality.

Currently, two (2) piped water systems supply potable water to the municipal capital and its environs. The AVRL system sources its water from Densuano and treated for distribution to a number of communities in the municipality. The Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) is another agency with the mandate to facilitate the provision of safe drinking water and related sanitation services to rural communities and small towns. The agency is located in the municipal over the years and provided boreholes and water systems to some communities.

Other organisations operating in the municipal and have made significant impact in the provision of water are JICA and DANIDA.

Water availability is expected to become increasingly scarce in the future, and this is partly due to climate change. Climate change is likely to lead to reduced rainfall in the coming years. The effect of which is an intensification of the water cycle that may cause more extreme floods or droughts. This will further result in the drying of our water bodies which serve as sources of water for domestic use in some communities thereby resulting in the population facing water scarcity in the near future.

Implication for Development – Water Scarcity

For communities who rely on streams and rivers as their main sources of drinking water are prone to water-related diseases such as diarrhoea, typhoid fever, guinea worm and schistosomiasis. The problem could be aggravated by a high population growth rate and a seemingly lack of capacity on the part of the responsible agency, the Ghana Water Company, to keep pace with the rate of demand.

Women and children are affected the most during water scarcity as they will have to spend more time walking longer distances to get potable water.

NATURAL AND MAN- MADE DISASTERS

The major natural and man- made disasters that have plagued the New Juaben North Municipality are flooding, fire-out breaks and rainstorms/wind storms. The man- made ones are mostly domestic fire outbreaks. With regards to flooding; High ways, Asokore Zongo, Akwadum Zongo, Asakore-Kuma, Oyoko R/C and OMESS, Rema house among others are identified as flood - prone areas in the municipal area.

The perennial flooding in these areas has been attributed to the construction of buildings in waterways, dumping of refuse in narrow gutters and drains. More so, most of the existing gutters are narrow and so cannot receive large volumes of water whenever there was a heavy down pour. The effect has been the loss of life and valuable properties in these areas.

Another major natural disaster in the municipal is rainstorm. Areas mostly affected are Effiduase and Oyoko. These areas are mostly affected because of the rapid deforestation resulting in inadequate trees to serve as windbreaks and also poor construction of houses.

Fire Outbreak

Fire outbreaks in the municipal are principally domestic and institutional. Actions of man related to these outbreaks are weak and naked wiring of houses, un-switched off electricity gadgets while out of the house, overloaded meters and gas explosion.

The major challenge confronting the fire service in combating fire in the Municipal has been poor accessibility to properties. Most areas in the Municipal are not easily accessible. Roads have been encroached by developers and temporal structures constructed on pavements.

Implications for Development

The impacts of disasters such as flooding, fire outbreaks and storms in the municipal area affects economic activities, academic work and health care delivery. People will have to abandon their homes and seek shelter elsewhere. Consequently, funds that should be spent on projects would have to be diverted to manage disaster cases.

Additionally, the situation deters individuals, institutions and private investors in investing in flood prone areas.

NATURAL RESOURCE UTILIZATION

The Municipal Assembly is endowed with natural resources such as granite, sand, clay and rivers/streams. These resources are being exploited as demand for sand and gravel continues to increase. Sand winning and stone quarrying are important economic activities which are threats to the environment. Environmental issues are gradually becoming high as development and environment are inseparable.

Sand Winning

Contractors and individuals have subjected farm fields to very intensive sand winning activities at Akwadum and Mpaem areas. This has resulted in environmental damage and loss in agriculture productivity. Sand wining in the municipality has negative effects on the environment, farming and health. Other direct effects include land degradation and destruction of roads by heavy trucks and air pollution.

Notwithstanding, sand winning has positive effects which are; a source of income for land owners, a source of revenue for the Municipal Assembly, building materials for construction and a source of employment for the youth. In view of this maximum benefits should be obtained from the activity with ecological consideration in mind.