Source: newsthemegh.com
Assistant Chief Fire Officer Grade One (ACFO) 1, Timothy Osafo-Afum, Head of the Public Affairs Department of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), has revealed that 1,035 out of 1,832 water hydrants located nationwide are defective.
According to ACFO 1, this has an impact on the service amid nationwide fire outbreaks.
He also revealed that the majority of these fire hydrants were put in during the 1990s, and that many of them need to be replaced since they are broken and cannot be fixed, while buildings have been built on top of others.
In an emergency, firemen must drive great distances to obtain water from other hydrants, which causes delays, according to ACFO 1 Timothy Osafo-Afum.
The Public Relations Officer highlighted in an interview that of the 797, the Greater Accra region alone has 305 non-functional fire hydrants, with the Ashanti Region having 123, Bono having 68, the Western region having 64, and the Eastern region having 62.
Since operational hydrants are essential to the service’s operations, ACFO 1 Timothy Osafo-Afum stated that the GNFS has increased its cooperation with the Ghana Water Company Limited to guarantee a steady supply of water. He also mentioned that the GNFS has submitted a proposal to the government to acquire additional water tankers to support service operations.
In order to guarantee a consistent supply of water, the agency is also pleading with certain non-governmental organizations to assist the government in drilling boreholes, particularly in rural areas.