By Victoria Agyemang
Ho (V/R), Oct 08, GNA – The Coalition of NGOs in Water and Sanitation (CONIWAS) has renewed its commitment to achieving SDG six for all Ghanaians to stay healthy.
Their focus would be on ensuring access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene facilities for all.
It recognises the goal six as the most basic human need for health and well-being and emphasised that billion of people would lack access to these basic services in 2030 unless progress quadrupled.
With a focus on the three Cs which represent Choices, Chances and Changes needed to make the difference, the CONIWAS called on leaders of WASH stakeholders to take action to cause positive change in the WASH sector for the betterment of all.
Ms Beata Awinpoka Akanyani, the Chairperson of Coniwas giving her welcoming address at the MOLE XXXV Conference, revealed that the Coalition was saddened by the increasing menace of illegal mining (Galamsey) which had destroyed and contaminated major rivers like the Pra, Ankobra, Birim and Offin with toxic chemicals, posing long-term health risks including neurological disorders, kidney damage, and developmental issues in children.
Pregnant women and young children are particularly at risk, with mercury exposure potentially causing birth defects and cognitive impairments.
The contamination had also contributed to water-borne diseases, skin ailments, and respiratory conditions with the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) reports, indicating that pollution from galamsey had drastically increased water treatment costs, disproportionately affecting the poor and vulnerable, which was a worrying situation for sector players.
She noted that the year’s Conference would focus on Ghana’s SDG 6 implementation trajectory, assessing progress, identifying challenges, and defining a way forward.
The sub-themes would cover institutional alignment, innovative financing for WASH service delivery, and policies for effective service delivery.
The Sanitation Child Diplomat, Master Timtoni Wumbei, will be visiting schools in Ho as part of his advocacy work on WASH.
The conference being organised by the Coalition of NGOs in Water and Sanitation (CONIWAS) is being held on a general theme: “Looking Back on SDG 6 Implementation in Ghana: Progress, Challenges, and Ways Forward.”
The four main thematic subjects are institutional alignments and policies, approaches, strategies, and methods towards attainment of Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG6) in Ghana.
Among the institutions and organisations participating in the five-day MOLE35 Conference are the GAMA/GKMA Sanitation and Water Project, IRC Ghana, World Vision Ghana, and the Media Coalition Against Open Defecation (M-CODe).
Ms Akanyani affirmed that the coalition’s commitment to fighting barriers hindering the WASH sector’s growth and development.
GNA