Access to quality drinking water improves in Brong-Ahafo, Minister

Access to quality drinking water improves in Brong-Ahafo, Minister

Sunyani, Feb. 22, GNA – Access to potable drinking water has improved tremendously in the Brong-Ahafo Region, Mr Evans Opoku-Bobie, the Brong-Ahafo Regional Minister has stated.

He stated that rural water coverage had also increased to 66 per cent by 2018 but it was 18 per cent as at 1995.

Mr, Opoku-Bobie made the statement in a speech read on his behalf at the Brong-Ahafo Regional stakeholders’ conference on rural water and sanitation sub-sector reforms in Sunyani.

The one-day conference on the theme “Reforming Ghana’s Rural Water Sub-Sector towards Efficient Management of Wash Services to Rural Communities and Small Towns” aimed at deliberating on the new Sub-sector Reforms arrangement towards sustainability of investments and strategies to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals Six (SDG6).

It was attended by Municipal and District Chief Executives (MDCEs), selected senior staff of the Municipal and District Assemblies, representatives of non-governmental and civil society organisations, community representatives, traditional rulers, opinion leaders and the media.

He expressed concern about poor management of the water delivery under the community ownership and management arrangement, which according to him was affecting the sustainability of the water service delivery.

Mr Opoku-Bobie observed that the situation had resulted to crises of water shortage in some communities in the Region, despite that, Ghana has attained middle income status that has brought about dwindling donor support for the sub-sector.

He said the rural water and sanitation sub-sector reforms towards sustainability management of water systems by Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) was relevant to ensure the sustainability, expansion and rehabilitation works to take away the burden on government resources.

The Reform would also focus government resources on the unserved communities towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals 6 (SDG6,) which requires that all households in Ghana have access to safe water by 2030, Mr Opoku-Bobie added.

He entreated the general public to be responsible towards achieving the target of the new reforms in the water and sanitation sub-sector to ensure that all communities had access to portable drinking water with quality service delivery.

Alhaji-Ing Ahmed Ewura, Regional Director of the CSWA stated that many people were drinking water that contained human faeces and other materials that could affect human health.

He said that was related to non-treatment and monitoring of drinking water on the assumption that ground water, which was mostly used as water source has constant quality.

Alhaji Ewura advised the public to stop the illegal water connections to their homes and shops and for other domestic and commercial use because it was reducing the amount of revenue generation for rehabilitation and expansion works.

He mentioned that high cost of electricity for continuous pumping of water to meet demands in the region had been a problem and therefore needed an immediate solution.

GNA