Residents of Yorkutime in the North Tongu District of the Volta Region have moved on from drinking greenish water meant for cattle, after years of sharing a dugout with livestock. The community relied on this unsafe water source until February 2026, when Hope for Ghana and Ingoma Living Waters installed a mechanised borehole.
Before this intervention, residents faced severe hardship, especially in the dry season. Some had to travel about 10 kilometres by motorcycle to neighbouring communities to find water. The dugout, originally dug for cattle, was the only source of water in the area.
Senyo Success Gbormittah, the 2026 JoyNews Impact Maker Award winner in the Education and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) category, visited Yorkutime with his team at Hope for Ghana and found the water situation unacceptable. “Human beings deserve better. They deserve good drinking water, but all they are getting at Yorkutime is water that has green colour and is being shared with cattle,” he said.
Mr Gbormittah explained that the dugout was never meant for human consumption. “Even the dugout was purposely dug for cattle to feed on, but human beings have no other source of drinking water but to depend and share this water with cattle,” he added.
The new mechanised borehole is expected to provide a reliable source of clean drinking water, replacing the unsafe dugout. The installation brings relief to residents who faced the daily challenge of finding safe water for drinking and household use.
Mr Gbormittah described the borehole as a major change for Yorkutime. “Clean water is what we celebrate today and the greenish, dirty and polluted water that they used to drink in the past is now a thing of the past,” he said.
A representative of the Yorkutime community thanked Hope for Ghana and its partners for the new facility. “We are thanking Hope for Ghana for giving us this pure clean water which will enable us to go away from diseases and our kids will no more drink any contaminated water,” the representative said.
Access to clean water is expected to reduce health risks, particularly for children, who were most vulnerable to waterborne diseases from the contaminated dugout water.
For many in Yorkutime, the mechanised borehole ends a long period of relying on a water source meant for animals. It eases the burden of travelling long distances during dry seasons and offers a safer, closer option for water.
The intervention by Hope for Ghana and Ingoma Living Waters came after the dire water situation in Yorkutime caught the attention of Mr Gbormittah and his team in early 2026. Their visit led to the construction and commissioning of the borehole, which now serves the community.
Years of sharing unsafe water with cattle have ended in Yorkutime. The community now has a dependable source of clean water for drinking and daily use, improving health and quality of life.
According to Joy Online.
