Environmental IssuesPollution

High Levels of Pollution of Water Bodies is the Major Cause of Poor Water Supply in the Country – Sanitation and Water Resources Ministry

The Deputy Sanitation and Water Resources Minister, Amidu Issahaku Chinnia, has blamed the irregular supply of water in some parts of the country on the pollution of water bodies by human activities.

Speaking on the floor of parliament on Tuesday March 22nd 2020, the Deputy Minister stated that pollution from domestic and industrial activities is a major challenge affecting the provision of potable water across the country.

“Currently, several parts of Accra suffer poor water supply due to high levels of pollution caused by human activities. It affects the turbidity of the water and makes it expensive to treat the raw water. Large volumes of this raw water are also lost in the process and consequently, water supply to home becomes hampered,” he said.
He added that the challenge makes it expensive to maintain equipment at the water treatment plant because of the high turbidity of the raw water.

The Minister added that Ghana’s ground water resources are reputable for high quality, except for some localized cases of pollution and the incidence of high level iron, fluoride and other minerals. Citing data from the 2021 Population and Housing Census which shows that the three main sources of water for households are sachet; constituting about 37.4 per cent, pipe borne water, about 31.7 per cent and borehole and tube well, which is about 17.7 per cent. In rural areas, groundwater as source of water constitutes about 33.6 per cent while pipe borne water is about 28.8 per cent.

“It is worth noting that there are some urban areas in the Upper East and Upper West regions where 80 per cent of the population depend on groundwater for water supply. Although the statistics look dire, there is a lot more to be done to protect groundwater as a viable and safer alternative,” he added.

However, as the country joins the rest of the world to commemorate World Water Day on March 22, Hon. Amidu Issahaku Chinnia argues that government is working to ensure regular water supply across the country.

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