Gbetsile, Apolonia and Kakasunanka Residents Protest Months of Water Shortages and Deteriorating Roads
Residents of Gbetsile, Apolonia and Kakasunanka in the Kpone Katamanso Municipality of the Greater Accra Region took to the streets on Thursday to demand urgent government intervention over what they describe as months of water shortages and crumbling road infrastructure in their communities.
Clad in red and black attire, the demonstrators marched through the streets singing solidarity songs and carrying placards that highlighted the hardship they have endured. The protest, which drew dozens of residents from the three adjoining communities, reflected a growing frustration with what participants called sustained neglect by local and national authorities.
The water crisis has been the most immediate source of suffering. Residents say the lack of potable water has forced families to depend on private water vendors, whose prices have become prohibitive for many households. A single drum of water now costs GHS200, a figure that protesters said is beyond the reach of ordinary families. Women and children have borne the greatest burden, often walking long distances in search of water for basic domestic needs.
“Our only aim is to get water. We are suffering. Water is life, and we cannot continue to live like this,” one woman told journalists during the demonstration.
Stephen Quarcoo, a resident who helped coordinate the protest, dismissed technical explanations for the prolonged outage. “It should not take engineers six months to fix a pipeline while people are suffering,” he said. His frustration was echoed by several other participants who questioned why a basic service failure in a peri-urban area of the capital should persist for months without resolution.
The demonstrators also drew attention to the deplorable condition of roads in the area, describing them as dusty, damaged and difficult to navigate, particularly during the rainy season. According to residents, the poor roads have disrupted transportation, affected local businesses and made access to homes increasingly difficult. The situation mirrors broader infrastructure challenges in [rapidly expanding communities across the Greater Accra Region](/ga-mantse-calls-for-prosecution-of-chiefs-selling-lands-on-accra-waterways-after-weija-dam-flooding), where urbanisation has outpaced the delivery of essential services.
The protest carried a political undertone as well. Several residents warned that the continued neglect could have electoral consequences for their Member of Parliament. “If the MP does not come to our rescue, he will lose his seat. This situation will affect the government itself. We are human beings and cannot continue to live without water. Even animals need water to survive,” one protester said.
The demonstrators indicated they would formally petition the Ghana Water Company Limited before engaging their MP and other government officials. Their demands are straightforward: the immediate restoration of water supply, improvement of road infrastructure and the development of long-term solutions to the challenges facing the three communities.
Kpone Katamanso has experienced rapid population growth in recent years, with many residents moving from central Accra in search of affordable housing. The expansion, however, has not been matched by corresponding investment in water, roads and other basic amenities, leaving communities like Gbetsile, Apolonia and Kakasunanka caught between rising expectations and inadequate public services.
Image Source: MYJOYONLINE
