Elimina-Ghana, Oct. 31, MNN – The Mole XXXIII WASH Conference is not the time for LAMENTATIONS. It is rather the time for SOLUTIONS, Mr Yaw Attah Arhin, Chairman Coalition of NGOs in Water and Sanitation (CONIWAS), has stated at the 33rd edition of the Mole Conference Series at Elimina in the Central Region.
“After the conference, we should all resolve as stakeholders to act on the critical issues confronting Ghana’s water and sanitation sector, including:
the wanton pollution of our water bodies with careless abandon (through Galamsey and sand-winning and other nefarious activities.
“Limited access to safe drinking water in homes, schools, healthcare facilities and other public places,” Mr Arhin stated on behalf of the CONIWAS Executive Committee, the Council of Elders, the Planning Committee, the Secretariat and the entire membership.
Mr Arhin while commending the Government of Ghana and all Development Partners for the water projects completed and initiated, “I am quick to observe that most of these are in the urban and peri-urban areas.
“We make a popular appeal for support to the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) to enable its ongoing reforms to succeed. Government and development partners need to adequately resource CWSA in order to sustainably increase access to safe drinking water”.
The CONIWAS Chairman said it is a sad commentary that since 2016 till date, provider-based access to safe drinking water in rural and small towns has stagnated at 62 percent after 2015 when it hit 65 percent.
He also expressed concern about the widening inequalities, stressing “we have taken note of the fact that while access to safe drinking water in Greater Accra and Ashanti Regions is estimated at 97.6 percent and 94.5 percent respectively, access to safe drinking water in North East and Savannah Regions is estimated at 54.8 percent and 55.1 percent respectively”.
He noted that this widening inequality needs to be addressed with intentional measures.
He noted that consistent with the coalition’s mission of working with citizens and relevant stakeholders to influence policies, remove barriers and promote access to safe drinking water, improved sanitation and hygiene for the poor and vulnerable, this year’s conference will continue the national dialogue aimed at changing the narrative regarding the approach to the delivery of sustainable WASH services in Ghana.
the theme for the Mole XXXIII WASH Conference Ghana’s Commitment to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH): Connecting Systems to Bridge the Service Delivery Gaps has been carefully selected to reflect the complex mix of interventions and the systems required to deliver sustainable WASH services to the good people of Ghana, particularly the poor and vulnerable.
A five-member team of the Media Coalition Against Open Defecation (M-CODe) led by Ms. Winifred Afum, National Vice Convener who is also a journalist with the Ghana Television, and Ms. Benedicta Gyimaah Folley of the Ghanaian Times are participating in the conference.
Others are Mr. Alberto Mario Noretti, a member of M-CODe Volta/Oti Regional Branch who is also a journalist with the Daily Graphic; Ms. Victoria Agyeman, a member of M-CODe Central Regional Branch, and journalist with the Ghana News Agency; and Mr. Ernest Best Anane, a member of M-CODe Ashanti Regional Branch and also a journalist with the Ghanaian Chronicle.
The M-CODe representatives are being sponsored by World Vision Ghana and the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA).
