[ 2014-09-02 ]

Home burials threatens quality of underground water- CWSA
Wa, GNA – The Community Water and Sanitation
Agency (CWSA) in the Upper West Region says,
emerging trends such as burials in homes and
unmarked burial grounds is projected to bring a
lot of unforeseen water quality challenges.

The CWSA says it is an undeniable truth that, most
of groundwater reserves might have been polluted
with leachate of burial related materials, faecal
matter or other solid waste materials.

Mr. Worlanyo Siabi, Regional Director of CWSA
made this to known at a stakeholders workshop to
discuss progress on the sustainable rural water
and sanitation project and challenges related to
sustainability of facilities, water quality and
sanitation in the region held in Wa.

Traditional rulers, government departmental heads
and some non-governmental organisations involved
in the provision of water attended the forum.

Mr. Siabi said sanitation delivery in the region
had remained problematic, which he noted, required
serious thinking and approaches to deal with.

He said the region had been able to achieve just a
little lower than 10 per cent coverage of improved
sanitation but made some tremendous achievements
in the water sector.

Mr. Siabi, said by the end of 2015, the region
would have about 2,750 boreholes fitted with hand
pumps and 34 piped water systems serving more than
40 small towns.

Alhaji Sulemana Amidu, Upper West Regional
Minister, who graced the forum, told the
traditional leaders in the region that, being the
custodians of the land, they should help in
resolving burial issues to help protect water
resources and improve its quality.

He said stakeholders must always make an effort to
follow up on water and sanitation issues and not
wait till they become a menace.

Alhaji Amidu urged participants to help keep the
region clean, devoid of cholera and other related
diseases as it is being experienced in some parts
of Ghana.

Naa Sohimininye Gore Danah II, Paramount Chief of
the Dorimon Traditional Area appealed to people in
the communities to endeavour to keep their
surroundings clean at all times to avoid malaria
and other water borne diseases.

Source - GNA

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