Since 2020, the Aquaya Institute has been conducting routine water quality monitoring across Asutifi North District as part of the Asutifi North Ahonidie Mpomtuo(ANAM) Initiative. Each year, these checks help communities and leaders understand what’s in their water and how to keep it safe.
The October 2024 round followed this tradition, but with a new twist. While previous monitoring focused mainly on microbial contamination, this year’s testing also piloted checks for chemical contaminants a move driven by growing community interest.
The Aquaya teamtogether with District Officers visited 49 schools and 8 health care facilities,testing for Lead,Nitrogen, Arsenic, Fluoride, Cyanide, Cadmium, and Mercury. However, theresults indicated Lead wasdetected at 4% in some samples. Whiles all other chemical components recorded no contamination.
From 5th to 19th August 2025, Aquaya together with representatives from the WashDesk Team engaged 14 communities across the district to share these findings. Engagements included thorough, face-to-face discussions with all affected schools, health facilities, and households. The aim was to explain the results in plain language, address concerns, and agree on practical solutions. Together, communities and facilitators committed to;
- Flush watersystems for 30 seconds after water has beensitting for more than 8 hours.
- Replace pipes and taps with lead-free, high-quality parts
- Continue regular microbial and chemicaltesting to track progress.
- Boil drinking water before use in households with microbial contamination such as E.coli.
Moreover, during the community engagements, the WASH Desk Teams continued to sensitize residents about the toll-free number, encouraging people to call and report complaints for prompt redress. As a result of these efforts, 312 new members were successfully recruited into the WASH Network.
In addition, on Wednesday, 13th August 2025, the Aquaya Institute held astakeholder engagement at the Asutifi North District Assembly Hall to present the results from the February 2025 microbial contamination tests. The meeting brought together a wide range of stakeholders, including a WASH ambassador (who also serves as a traditional representative), the District Planning Officer, Water Engineer, District School Health Promotion Officer, District Health Director, and representatives from World Vision Ghana, Safe Water Network, and Netcentric Campaigns.
Looking ahead, Aquaya Institute will return in September 2025 for the next round of testing continuing a process that has safeguarded the district’s water for the past five years.