[ 2011-04-13 ]

Alban S.K. Bagbin, Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing

Sector Minister calls for holistic approach in tackling water problems
Mr Alban S.K. Bagbin, Minister of Water Resources,
Works and Housing, has called for a holistic,
objective and scientific approach to tackle
problems facing the water sector.

He said the sector had been faced with numerous
challenges in achieving sustainable water and
sanitation delivery.

The Minister said it was incumbent on service
providers and beneficiaries to recognise their
roles in ensuring that systems put in place
operated efficiently and effectively.

Mr Bagbin was addressing the opening session of a
two-day stakeholders forum on urban water delivery
in Accra on Tuesday.

The Forum, the third in series being organised by
the Ministry in collaboration with its partners is
on the theme: "Improving Urban Water Delivery,
Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow".

He said that provision of potable water was
critical to government's policy for sustainable
economic development and committed to ensure that
Ghanaians had access to potable water.

Mr Bagbin said during the 1990's Ghana undertook
extensive reforms including increase in private
sector participation in the management of urban
water sector, establishment of oversight and
regulatory bodies on water, decoupling of rural
water from urban water supply and conversion of
Ghana Water and Sewerage Corporation into a
Company.

He noted that after 10 years of debate over the
Private Sector Participation, government entered
into a five-year lease contract for the provision
of urban water services in the country under a
Management Contract.

"Five years following the coming into force of the
contract, we can say, with all certainty that we
have made some gains even though a lot still
remains to be done," he said.

Mr Bagbin observed that urban water supply
coverage managed by Ghana Water Company had
improved with about 81 per cent of water supply
systems.

He said despite all the improvement made, several
challenges both man-made and natural threatened to
minimise the positive impact achieved.

The challenges include dwindling water per capita,
high non-revenue water, obsolete equipment,
pollution of water sources, high levels of
wastage, political interference, rapid
urbanisation and long years of corporate
carelessness manifesting in poor sector
governance.

The Sector Minister said the five-year management
contract would end in May this year, and urged the
participants to examine the impact in relation to
its set objectives and targets as well as the
performance of the urban water supply and come out
with proposals on the interim arrangement after
the expiration day.

Brigadier General Joseph Nunoo-Mensah (Rtd),
National Security Advisor, expressed concern about
the problems facing the water sector in providing
potable water to Ghanaians.

He said water was essential and therefore the need
to tackle the current situation with all
seriousness.

Brigadier General Nunoo-Mensah complained about
the exposure of water sachets destroying the
environment and called for the abolition of the
production of sachet water since its safety could
not be assured.

"Water sachet has become a menace and it is
destroying the environment and a threat to lives.
We need to tackle it with tactical solutions," he
added.

Source - GNA

... go Back