The Founder and Chief Executive Officer of COA Research and Manufacturing Company Ltd., Prof. Samuel Ato Duncan has urged Ghanaians to be a part of the fight to preserve and protect water resources in the country.
Speaking at the 2023 World Water Day ceremony organized by the Department of Water and Sanitation held at the University of Cape Coast, Prof. Ato Duncan expressed that, water is a fundamental human need and a critical resource for all life on earth and has to be protected from pollution at all cost.
According to him, illegal mining and other environmentally unfriendly conditions have contributed massively to water pollution which is now a global problem that affects millions of people around the world with Ghana, not an exception.
“…If we destroy the water bodies, what are we doing to our future generation?” he continued.
He is of the view that all must come together to find sustainable solutions that will ensure access to clean water and sanitation for all.
Prof. Samuel Ato Duncan maintained that partnerships and cooperation are crucial as he believes there can they can lead to accelerating change in the water sector.
He adds that the fight for water preservation is not a solo effort but a daily collective approach to ensure daily access to clean water and sanitation.
“We are committed to working with all stakeholders to promote sustainable water management practices. We recognize that sustainable water management requires a multidisciplinary approach that involves water resource management, climate change, adaptation, and disaster risk reduction. Partnerships can lead to the exchange of knowledge, expertise, and resources that can help to accelerate change. The private sector, for example, can bring in new technologies and innovative approaches to address water pollution” he emphasized.
Speaking on the theme: Accelerating Change through Partnerships and Co-operation, Central Regional Director for community water and sanitation agency, Mr. Isaac Kwesi Brown bemoaned the illegal mining (galamsey) which has become a canker affecting water bodies in Ghana.
He advised saying, it is essential to desist from the activity of galamsey since its effect can go a long way to destroy the water bodies for which we depend as humans for survival.
“If we do nothing now, one day we may be spending half of our salaries to purchase imported water for our survival. I’m sure that day our grandchildren will ask us why didn’t you do anything, grandpa, to stop galamsey.”
Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the forum, the central regional chief manager of the Ghana Water company, Mr. Seth Eric Atiapah explained that the company now uses polyelectrolyte chemicals which cost 4 times higher than the usual alum for the treatment of water for consumption.
He, however, notes that the central region has raw water that is good enough to be treated.
“If you take the region as a whole but of course, you have some areas where the used capacity is higher than others. But if you put it all together, we are using about 60% of the installed capacity so we can say fairly we have plants that can cater for some more water” he continued.
World Water Day is celebrated annually on March 22 to raise awareness and draw inspiration to tackle water and sanitation crisis.
It is a day dedicated to drawing attention to the water-related issues that humans face in almost every country. Created by the United Nations, the goal of World Water Day is to bring aid to people who truly need it across borders.
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Source: Comfort Sweety Hayford/ATLFMNEWS
