Eastern Regional Minister, Hon Seth Kwame Acheampong has stated there is a need to explore solutions to protect underground water by using the relevant information and the appropriate technology in accessing groundwater in the country.
To him, it is prudent to protect the underground water from over exploitation and contamination to save millions of lives.
“It is important to note that the distribution of water is not pervasive in nature, but there exists scarcity of the resource in other areas, hence the need for us to take action as a people in tackling the looming water crisis,” the Minister said.
He pleaded with Ghanaians to work together to sustainably manage the precious resource as it would become critical in the dry season.
The Minister said: “we can all attest to the fact that not all our small town water systems have their water sources from surface water, but rather underground water which has been drilled into overhead tanks to supply to the communities”.
He entreated the public to embrace the accelerating change in order to provide for our crops, livestock and industry, creating and sustaining the ecosystem on which all life depends.
The Minister was of the view that Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 6) seeks to ensure safe drinking water and sanitation for all by focusing on the sustainable management of water resources, waste water and ecosystems and acknowledging the importance of an enabling environment by 2030.
The Minister indicated that the government is working, on average, four times faster, to meet SDG 6 on time, but this is not a situation that any group or single actor can solve as water affects everyone, so there is a need for everyone to be on board.
“2023 is a particular year for commitments regarding the use of water and its sanitation. We have most of our water bodies which are at the surface being polluted through human activities like galamsey, farming and others. The cost of treating water is so high and not economically viable anymore,” he said.
The Minister affirmed that chemicals like chlorine would have to be applied to make the water clean, but it compromises the quality of the water for consumption, hence the need to turn to groundwater, which has been identified as the largest liquid freshwater on earth and is used for domestic, agricultural and industrial activities.
He averred that 74% of the world’s population use a safely managed drinking water service while that of Ghana is at 41%.
Again, 17% of the world’s renewable water resource is withdrawn after taking into account the environmental flow requirement, while that of Ghana is at 6%. Overall, 88.3 percent of the total number of household members in Ghana have access to water in sufficient quantities according to a UN report.
He explained that groundwater is a hidden resource, found in the depth of the ground, but when drawn out, has an impact of restoring life.
The Minister reaffirmed that water is the driving force of all nature and without water there is no life and World Water Day raises awareness and inspires action to tackle the water and sanitation crises adding it is about taking action to tackle the global water crisis of 2.2 billion people living without access to safe water.
He said that it is quite relevant to solve the water and sanitation crises and dysfunction throughout the water cycle undermines progress on all major global issues from health to hunger, gender equality to jobs, education to industry, and disasters to peace.
The theme for this year’s celebration has been entitled “Accelerating Change”.
Source:Mybrytfmonline.com/Solomon Nartey
