Fighting for Communities Left Behind: Abbe Village’s Silent Struggle
Tucked within Cape Coast, Abbe Village is home to a community of farmers deprived of the basic infrastructure to sustain life. As part of our emblematic Tracka initiative, we have been visiting various communities across the country to drive conversations on civic participation and accountable governance.
Our latest Tracka visit to the Abbe village recently uncovered two pressing issues that endanger lives: a decaying footbridge that barely holds together and a contaminated water source that serves as the village’s primary water supply. These challenges do more than just make living difficult; they pose direct threats to health and safety, underscoring the critical need for action.
A Footbridge Hanging By a Thread
For many in Abbe Village, the footbridge connecting them to the rest of Cape Coast is an essential lifeline, but it is failing. What was once a safe passage over a water body has become a dangerous crossing, held together by decaying metals and rotting wooden planks. Every step on this precarious structure is a gamble of one’s life.
The bridge is in such poor condition, and residents our Tracka team spoke to reported at least three people have fallen through its cracks, sustaining grave injuries. With noticeable gaps and cracks between the planks and an unsteady base, it is only a matter of time before another more horrific tragedy occurs. Residents continue to use it because they have no other option; it is their only access to schools, markets, and essential services.
The lack of action on this issue reflects the gaps in public service delivery in Ghana. The inhabitants of Abbe Village are not asking for luxury; they are asking for a bridge that will not collapse under them.
A Water Source That Endangers Life
Beyond the crumbling bridge, Abbe Village is gripped by another crisis: a lack of safe drinking water. Nearly one million people rely solely on the same body of water spanning the crumbling bridge. However, rather than being a life-sustaining resource, it serves as a breeding ground for illness.
The water is murky, filthy, and unsafe for human consumption. The people rely on it for drinking, bathing, laundry, and animal use. Worse, some people defecate along its banks, compounding the contamination problem. Without a proper sanitation system, the town is at risk of waterborne diseases like cholera, bilharzia, and typhoid fever.
The consequences of this crisis are devastating. Children, who are the most vulnerable to infections, are exposed to life-threatening diseases daily. Pregnant women and the elderly, whose health is already frail, have no choice but to drink contaminated water. In a village of this size, the lack of a clean, regulated water supply is more than an oversight; it is a disaster.
How can a community of nearly one million people be left without access to safe drinking water in the 21st century?
A Community Desperate for Solutions
The people of Abbe Village have endured these conditions for far too long. They have expressed their concerns, voiced fears, and appealed for intervention, but no long-term solution has been enacted. Their requests are not complex: they need a structurally safe footbridge that will not endanger their lives, a clean and reliable water supply that meets basic sanitation standards, and a government that is responsive enough to institute municipal intervention to address these pressing needs.
In many ways, Abbe Village’s struggles reflect a larger governance issue, where underserved communities are left to fend for themselves, even in the face of life-threatening conditions. But this should not be the case. Infrastructure and clean water are fundamental rights, not privileges.
Who Will Answer the Call?
BudgIT Ghana, through Tracka, remains committed to spotlighting neglected communities and holding leaders accountable. The situation in Abbe Village requires immediate action, and we call on relevant authorities, such as the municipal assembly, local government agencies, and policymakers, to take decisive steps toward repairing the broken bridge and establishing a sustainable water solution.
The residents of Abbe Village should not have to endanger their lives by crossing a collapsing bridge or drinking contaminated water. This is not just a community issue but a public health and safety emergency.
The question is, will Abbe see decisive action before it is too late?
