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More than a year after the result was published, residents still lacked a dependable alternative capable of meeting their needs.<\/p>\n
The test behind the warning<\/h2>\n
Sulemana Alhassan, then the Northern Regional Water Quality Assurance Manager, said the water\u2019s appearance raised concern, but sight alone could not establish its safety. Laboratory analysis, he said, was needed to measure what was in the water and provide evidence that could guide a response.<\/p>\n
\u201cInstinctively, when you see it, you know that it\u2019s not potable,\u201d Alhassan said. \u201cThe best thing is to analyze it and turn this water into data,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Alhassan said the sample failed Ghana\u2019s physical and chemical requirements. The microbial count was too high for the laboratory to count. He warned that drinking untreated water over time could cause harm, although the timing and severity of illness would vary from person to person.<\/p>\n
Consultant urologist Dr Akis Afoko, who reviewed the findings at the Tamale Urology and Modern Surgical Centre, said the report indicated high levels of Salmonella and E. coli. Salmonella can cause typhoid fever, while E. coli can indicate contamination by human or animal waste.<\/p>\n
Afoko said his centre had treated residents, including children, for severe diarrhoea and other illnesses. He also described serious complications associated with typhoid, including cases in which damage to the bowel had become life-threatening.<\/p>\n
Afoko said the findings were worrying. Residents of Nanton Zuo, however, continue to depend on the dam for their daily water needs.<\/p>\n
A family\u2019s attempt to follow medical advice<\/h2>\n
For the Zakaria family, the question of water became urgent during the final illness of 75-year-old Fuseini Zakaria. He died at home in Nanton Zuo on 23 February 2022 after being diagnosed with kidney failure at Tamale Teaching Hospital.<\/p>\n
His eldest son, Yakubu Zakaria, said doctors advised the family not to give his father water from the dam. They were told to use bottled water, including Voltic. Following that advice meant finding extra money for drinking water while the family was already dealing with illness and hospital visits.<\/p>\n
Yakubu believes a water-borne infection contributed to his father\u2019s condition. \u201cThey carried on tests upon tests and concluded it was water-borne disease that led to the kidney failure,\u201d he recalled.<\/p>\n
Their account highlights the challenge of following such advice when safe drinking water must be bought and the family has limited means.<\/p>\n
The experience is not unique in its financial consequences. Afa Sulley, whose household has six people, estimated that sachet water for the family could cost GH\u00a212 to GH\u00a218 a day. Over a month, that is about GH\u00a2360 to GH\u00a2540 \u2014 money that might otherwise pay for food, transport, school needs or other household expenses.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf a family of six needs GH\u00a212 to GH\u00a218 a day for sachet water, how can we manage? It is not realistic for us,\u201d Sulley said. \u201cWhen you drink the water, you pray not to fall sick. When you buy clean water, you go hungry that day,\u201d he told this reporter.<\/p>\n
For families relying largely on subsistence farming, buying safe water competes with other expenses. Some may buy it for drinking but continue to use dam water for cooking or washing. Others may buy less than they need. The options depend on how much money is available that day.<\/p>\n
Sachet water is sold in small quantities, but the daily cost builds up over weeks. The choice can be especially difficult when income depends on seasonal work or what a household can produce and sell. A family may understand the advice to avoid unsafe water and still be unable to follow it consistently.<\/p>\n
Yakubu Habiba said she spent about GH\u00a2600 on hospital care, including infusions and medicines. She said a doctor told her the water had caused her illness. Describing why she continued to use the dam despite her concerns, she said: \u201cYes, if I don’t stop drinking the water, then it is because I have no option. But if I have a way, I will stop because I know the water is not good for my health.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her words reflect the dilemma facing residents who depend on the dam but have few affordable alternatives. For Habiba, avoiding the water is not simply a matter of choice; it depends on whether she can find another source.<\/p>\n
The hours taken from children and women<\/h2>\n
Water collection also takes hours. During the dry season, residents say, women and girls may walk three to five kilometres and spend two to three hours fetching it. That time comes out of the day\u2019s farming, housework, rest and schoolwork. The distance and time can vary with conditions, but residents describe the task as a regular part of household life. Water must be collected again as it is used, leaving little room for a day when someone is ill, a child has an examination or farm work needs attention.<\/p>\n
Northern Regional Manager of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, Ransford Kwabena Bayisi, said the shortage affects attendance at the AME Zion Primary School in Nanton Zuo. \u201cSome days, nearly half of the children in a class stay home \u2014 they are sick, or they have gone to look for water,\u201d he said. When pupils miss lessons, teachers sometimes have to repeat work before the class can move forward.<\/p>\n
Some pupils miss school because they are ill; others are sent to fetch water. A child who spends the morning on the trip may arrive late or miss lessons. A child recovering from illness may find it hard to catch up. Teachers then have to deal with the effects of a water shortage they cannot fix themselves.<\/p>\n
Girls may lose valuable study time when they are expected to help their families fetch water. Residents described long hours spent walking to the dam, waiting to collect water and carrying it home. Although a community-wide attendance survey was not conducted, Bayisi\u2019s account offers a glimpse of how water shortages affect children\u2019s schooling.<\/p>\n
The shortage also shapes access to healthcare. Residents often travel 10 to 15 kilometres to reach public health facilities, including Tamale Teaching Hospital. The Tamale Urology and Modern Surgical Centre offers specialised care; it is not a substitute for a public facility treating everyday illnesses. Residents described self-medication and delaying treatment until symptoms became more serious.<\/p>\n
Why the boreholes have not solved it<\/h2>\n
Residents and organisations have made repeated attempts to find groundwater in Nanton Zuo, but the number of failed boreholes varies across accounts. A November 2025 JoyNews follow-up reported that residents put the number at more than 15. Abdullah, a community resident who recalls these efforts dating back to his childhood, estimates that about 20 boreholes have been attempted in the area.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey drill and there is no water,\u201d Abdullah said.<\/p>\n
Water resources development engineer Fadlu Rahman Mashod said the local geology helps explain the repeated failures. The area\u2019s mudstone and shale formations do not readily allow water to enter or be stored in the rock, making groundwater difficult to find.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is very little groundwater. Most of the time, when you drill, you won\u2019t find water,\u201d Mashod said. \u201cThe rocks here are mudstone and shale. These rocks do not allow water to enter or be stored inside them. It is not only Nanton Zuo. The whole area has this problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mashod said finding groundwater could require detailed geological studies, specialised equipment and deeper drilling, with no guarantee of success. The issue, he said, is not how many holes are drilled but whether each attempt is guided by enough evidence to make it worthwhile. His explanation also cautions against treating every failed borehole as a lack of effort by residents.<\/p>\n
Green Gold Social Enterprise has worked with Nanton Zuo for about six years, helping mobilise support for boreholes through the Grundfos Foundation \u2013 pdjf. Yet the efforts have not delivered a dependable water source.<\/p>\n
A newer borehole produces water, but residents question its usefulness. Yakubu Suraiya described one everyday difficulty, \u201cThe water does not lather with soap,\u201d she said. Another resident, Memunatu was equally worried, \u201cThe water is very salty.\u201d She said tea prepared with it was difficult to drink and food cooked with it could become watery by the following day.<\/p>\n
The dry pipes<\/h2>\n
There is another reason residents of Nanton Zuo feel stranded, the community has a piped water network, but the taps remain dry.<\/p>\n
A resident, Abdullah, said the pipes had been connected more than five years ago, yet water was still not flowing through them.<\/p>\n
\u201cMore than five years now, the pipes have been connected, but no water is flowing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n