Biriwa – C/R: Students, residents depend on stagnant water from abandoned ‘galamsey’ pit for over 6 months

Students and residents from the Biriwa Vocational and Technical Training Institute drink from a stagnant water in an abandoned mining pit at Biriwa in the Mfantseman Municipality of the Central Region.

Information gathered by Onua news reveals that the mud water in the abandoned mining pit has been the only source of water in the Biriwa community for over six months as the community’s pipe borne water has been cut off.

Some residents in the community narrated that they solely depend on this stagnant water in the pit for their household chores which includes drinking, washing of clothes, bathing, cooking and others, which is negatively impacting their health.

Meanwhile, students at the Vocational institute need to cross the Cape Coast to Mankessim highway with over-speeding vehicles to fetch this stagnant water for their daily chores.

Some residents have threatened not to vote if nothing is done about the situation they have endured for the past six months and over.

They disclosed that some residents are suffering from skin rashes and other diseases as a result of the unhygienic condition of the water.

Many have been diagnosed with typhoid whenever they visited the hospital due to the water they have been using.

They have called on their Member of Parliament who doubles as the Minister of Science, Environment and Innovation, Ophelia Mensah Hayford, and the Municipal Chief Executive, Ike Lord Enu, as a matter of urgency, to come to their aid.

The community’s Unit Committee Chairman, Berquin has disclosed that although he has made several reports to the MP and MCE about the situation, they have turned deaf ears to it.

Source:onuaonline.com