The Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Mrs Cecilia Abena Dapaah, has urged stakeholders to sustain the fight against illegal mining to help protect water bodies.
According to her, there were still poor quality drinking water across the country, due to various environmental activities which impacted negatively on water bodies.
In a speech read on her behalf to commemorate this year’s World Water Day, at Akropong in the Eastern Region, she admitted that there were still barriers to access safe water, but said government would identify and solve challenges in the water distribution system in the country.
Mrs Dapaah said there was the need for increased awareness among stakeholders on the need to protect water bodies, adding that, the ministry would involve women, children, and the youth, as part of dialogues towards resolving the country’s water and sanitation challenges.
Speaking on the theme for this year’s event, ‘Leaving no one behind’, she emphasised that efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal Six on water and sanitation required more collaboration from all sectors, as government intensified its efforts to promote equitable access to water.
Mr George Asiedu, an engineer and consultant of the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA) Water and Sanitation Project, said huge sums of money had been spent in recent years to provide potable water for the citizenry.
Parts of the expenses, he noted, resulted from water pollution which increased the cost of treatment by water distribution companies.
He, therefore, urged the public to avoid practices which caused pollution of water bodies, adding that his outfit would ensure drinking water reached every household.
Ms Sylvia Lopez-Ekra, UN Resident Coordinator in Ghana, highlighted disparities which continue to exist between urban and rural communities in the country.
She stressed that access to safe water remained a basic human right, hence stakeholders in the water sector should strive to meet the needs of marginalised groups.
The World Water Day celebration which was climaxed at the Akropong School for the Blind witnessed demonstrations on water conservation, and proper hand washing, as well as captivating song ministrations from the school choir.
By Ernest Nutsugah
