SANITATION MINISTER CALL FOR COLLABORATIVE EFFORT IN SOLVING WASH ISSUES

STORY BY HAGAR SEY

The Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Cecilia Dapaah, has called on stakeholders in the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, WASH, sector to work together in achieving the Sustainable Development Goal Six target by 2030. According to her, issues of WASH are a shared responsibility. Madam Dapaah said this at the opening of the 31st Mole Conference in Accra. It was under the theme, Prioritizing and Refocusing Sustainable WASH Service Delivery; Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic. The conference brought together stakeholders in the WASH sector to dialogue on issues concerning WASH in the Country. Madam Dapaah noted that successful achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs is paramount. She said 17 goals  under the SDG are inter-related, interdependent and mutually reinforce each other. She said the government has not relented on its effort to promote the universal sustainable development agenda and raise awareness on the integrated nature of the Sustainable Development Goals. She said the government’s response to the spread of the pandemic has yielded considerable results; adding that stakeholders in the WASH sector have made significant contributions in the fight against the pandemic. She said the SDG goal six- is the central pillar to achieve many other goals like SDG 1- poverty reduction, SDG 2, food security and SDG 3, good health and well-being economic growth among other goals. She said prioritization of WASH activities in all respects is more important.  Madam Dapaah said the government will continue to partner with to CSOs, including the Development Partners, to support Government agenda in the sector. She said government is committed to improve WASH issues in the country.

 

 

WAG ACHIEVE ITS STRATEGIC PLAN TARGET

STORY BY HAGAR SEY

The Policy Analysis at the Water Aid Ghana, WAG, George Yorke, says the global strategic plan developed by WAG, has been successful in the country, especially in the three Northern Regions. According to him, 80 percent of the 2015 to 2021 target has been achieved. Mr. Yorke said according to a baseline study conducted prior to the activation of the strategic plan indicated that most Hospitals did not have Water, Hygiene and Sanitation, WASH, facilities especially in the Northern Region. The strategic plan was to strengthen and support the capability of governments and other service providers to deliver sustainable WASH services and bridge the inequality gap. The strategy equally sought to enable the poorest and most marginalized persons to realize their rights to water, sanitation and hygiene. Mr. York said the strategic plan focuses on goal six of the SDG targets; saying at the mid-year review it was realized that they have exceeded their target.  Mr. Yorke said 50 percent of communities in the northern part of Ghana have obtained Open Defecation Free status. He noted that most health facilities in Ghana have also become gender friendly while women have been empowered to demand their right. He said partners at the regional and district levels have been strengthened to help achieved the target.

 

DOMEA BRA COMMUNITY IMPROVE ON THEIR SANITATION SITUATION

 

Documentary by Hagar Sey( WATERSHED GHANA WP4)

Gonten resident cry for potable water

nanaesisey@gmail.com

03/04/19                                                               WE NEED HELP

Residents of Gᴐŋ-teŋ in the Kpone Katamanso Municipality, KKM, have appealed to the government to provide the Community with potable water. According to them, water from the only functioning borehole in the Community contains high iron and chlorine which makes it difficult for domestic uses. The situation has compelled the Community members to resort to the consumption of surface water although its safety cannot be guaranteed. Gᴐŋ-teŋ, which literary means ‘middle of a mountain’, is a farming Community with a population of over one thousand and one of the oldest in the Kpone Katamanso Municipality.  Though there are many challenges facing the Township, lack of potable water has become a major problem for residents, as they have to walk for more than 30 minutes to access surface water. In an interview with Obonu News, a resident, Bernice Oparebea, explained that the high level of iron in water drawn from the borehole makes it difficult to use. A visit to the Community showed that the Town is not only faced with water challenges but other developmental issues as well. The road network from Oyibi to the Town is in a deplorable state; making it difficult for residents to transport their farm produce to other communities for sale. The Community also lacks access to basic health care. Residents have to walk for about five miles to Aburi or Oyibi to board a car to Manpong to access healthcare. Another resident who gave his name as Papa Kwame, said due to the bad nature of roads in the Community, pregnant women in labour have to be carried by the youth in the community to Aburi, which is four miles away, to board a vehicle to hospital. The Assistant Head Master of the Gᴐŋ-teŋ KKMA Primary School, Christopher Adjei, said lack of classroom blocks has compelled the School’ management  to combine two different classes into one class; adding that security of the children is also worrying. Report by Hagar Sey

kpone public toilet

25/09/18                                               CLEAN OUR TOILET

ANN: Some female users of public toilet in kpone old town are complaining of contracting candidiasis, a yeast infection which affects the vagina. According to them poor maintenance and unhygienic condition of the public toilets have contributed to the outbreak of the disease. A visit to four of such public toilets facilities in kpone old town showed that over hundred people use one toilet daily each facility has five cubicles. This translates to over twenty users per a cubicle in a facility. The visit also revealed that the toilets are not cleaned after use. A toilet attendant, who gave her name madam Mary, said due to the complains they have been receiving, children are not allowed to access the toilet. A resident , Nii Adjetey called on the assembly  for help for residents in the community to construct their own toilet.

Story by Hagar Sey

CONIWAS PRESS CONFERENCE ON WWD

22/03/19.                        Give everyone water

The  Vice Chairman of the  Coalition of NGOs in Water and Sanitation, Attach Arthin has called on government through the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources to step up its coordination efforts to ensure that there is equity in the supply of safe water to every Ghanaian in the country. He said if government  do not take action to balance the current inequalities in water supply in the country, a lot of people particularly the poor and most vulnerable will be left behind. Mr. Arhin said at CONIWAS media engagement to mark the World Water Day. This year celebration is under the theme;" leaving no one behind. World Water Day is celebrated on the 22nd of March every year by the United Nations for countries to focus attention on the importance of water. This year's theme, ‘Leaving No One Behind’ was adapted from the Sustainable Development Goals Six and Ten which states that everyone must have access to safe water by 2030. Mr. Arhin noted that it is impossible for Ghana to meet the SDGs for Water if the current level of inequalities in water supply persists. He said the SDG goal Six enjoins countries to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. He said according to the 2017/2018 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, MICS, report by the Ghana Statistical Service, there are vast inequalities between the rich and the poor, urban and rural communities.He said inequalities in resource allocation for water supply further entrench poverty among the poor since they are compelled to spend more time fetching water than their richer counterparts. He therefore called on the government to as a matter of urgency increase financial allocation to drinking water supply and ensure that investments are made in this direction to prioritize the needs of the poor and vulnerable in order to close the inequality gap. Report by Hagar Sey

KEWUM COMMUNITY

23-03-2015                              WE NEED WATER

Residents of Kewum in the Shai Osudoku District have appealed to the government to as a matter of urgency provide the community with potable water. According to them the only source of water for the community is the Volta Lake which has been polluted by sand winning activities by some community members. Speaking to Obonu News, the Dade Mantse of the Community, Alfred Tetteh said the community, for the past three years has not had access to potable water.  Kawum is a farming community with the population of about one thousand. The community has not experienced any development since it was carved out of Asutuare. The only thing the community can boost of is its accessibility to the Volta Lake which the residents even share with animals. Mr. Tetteh explained that although the community has a borehole which was constructed by Water Aid Ghana, for the past three years the borehole has become faulty, saying since the chlorine and carbon used to purify the water got finished they are unable to treat the water making it turn red. The Watsan Committee Chairman of the Community, Mathew Nartey Apotchie said the issue of WASH is a major challenge in the area. He explained that aside the water problem, the community has no place to dispose of refuse saying they just put it anywhere. He said open defecation has become a common practice in the area due to the lack of toilet facilities in the community.  When Obonu news visited some surrounding communities within the Shai Osudoku District, the situation was not different. Some residents were seen fetching water from drains for their domestic chores. They however appealed to the government to urgently provide the communities with potable water to help curtail the outbreak of communicable diseases in the area. 

HS                                                  END