Students of Gowire Senior High School in the Upper East Region are enduring a worsening water crisis that is crippling academic activities and putting their health at risk.
The situation has forced many to wake up as early as 4:00 a.m. or wander through nearby communities late at night in desperate search of water.Some students, go days without bathing,others arrive in class exhausted, having spent the night queuing for water instead of resting.
Speaking to Bolga FM, frustrated students described the crisis as unbearable.
“The main challenge here at Gowire Senior High School is water and toilet facilities. We have no choice but to engage in open defecation in the community. It’s affecting our studies badly. Sometimes the teacher is teaching, but students are sleeping because we spent long hours looking for water,” one student lamented.
“The water crisis here is very serious. At dawn or in the evening, we are scattered across the community with containers, searching for water instead of concentrating on our books. The government must come to our aid, we are really suffering.” student discloses.
With the school’s only borehole broken down for months, students say they currently depend on water sellers in the community, where prices have surged beyond what many can afford.
“Even when we rely on community members selling water, a gallon is 50 pesewas and a bucket is 30 pesewas. That is too much for students to pay every day,” a student told reporters.
The lack of water has also worsened sanitation challenges on campus, with students raising concerns about non-functional toilet facilities.School authorities, according to the students, have made several attempts to secure a stable water source, but all efforts have failed.
“Management told us they have tried many times to find a lasting solution, but nothing has worked. They cannot even assure us when the situation will improve,” another student revealed.
“We are calling on government, philanthropists, and NGOs to come to our rescue. Our biggest challenge is water, and we need help now,” they pleaded.
