Students of the Tema Manhean Senior High School Technical (MANSTEC) have received water from the Member of Parliament for Tema East, Mr Isaac Ashai Odamtten and Madam Ebi Bright, Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE), following a prolonged water shortage in Tema.
The water shortage has forced the students to rely on the benevolence of residents with water tankers and a nearby stream known locally as “Worntor”.
The intervention followed reports that students had been trekking long distances into the Manhean township and around the VALCO enclave to fetch water after the school ran out of supply for more than a week.
A visit by the Ghana News Agency (GNA) to the school revealed that the shortage had significantly disrupted daily activities, affecting students, teachers, and kitchen staff, and raising concerns about health, sanitation, and learning conditions.
Mr Francis Normeshie, the Assembly Member for the Oninku Electoral Area, also known as Mensah Otabil, told the GNA that the school had been without water for about one and a half weeks before the situation became critical.
“As an Assembly Member, I was informed about the students’ struggles in searching for water. I visited the school, engaged the students, and subsequently contacted the Member of Parliament for Tema East and the MCE of Tema Metro, who both agreed to support the school with two water tankers to help address the situation temporarily,” he said.
Mr Normeshie explained that the absence of water compelled students to depend on water from residents and a stream known as Worntor, a situation he described as unsafe and unsustainable for a senior high school.
He noted that although the school had two boreholes, both were currently non-functional due to technical faults, while the existing water tanks were insufficient to store water for the school’s population.
“The school needs larger-capacity water tanks to complement the existing ones so that during such crises, it will not completely run out of water,” he stated.
Mr Normeshie further indicated that the school continued to face several infrastructural challenges, including an uncompleted boys’ dormitory, inadequate waste bins, and the deteriorating state of the school canteen.
He appealed to the MP and MCE to prioritise the school’s needs, noting that although officials had previously inspected the facilities and assured management of support, the challenges persisted.
He stressed that addressing the water and infrastructural challenges at Manhean Senior High Technical was critical to safeguarding students’ welfare and ensuring a conducive learning environment.
