By Albert Allotey
Accra, March 22, GNA – The Vision for Alternative Development (VALD) and Institute of Leadership and Development (INSLA), civil society organisations have celebrated the World Water Day with the people of Opah in the Ga West Municipality in the Greater Accra Region.
The Day was on the theme: “Accelerating Change” and was organised in collaboration with the chiefs and elders of the Opah community.
The United Nations has set aside March 22 to be celebrated every year to highlight the importance of freshwater and to advocate the sustainable management of water resources.
Mr Benjamin Anabila, the Director of INSLA in an address said this year’s theme was directed at speeding change to solve the water and sanitation crisis while the global campaign theme; “Be the Change” encouraged people to take actions in their own lives to change the way they use, consume, and manage water.
Mr Ahmed Abubakar, the Programme Officer of VALD called on government to provide water in deprived communities, saying; “Though it is the right of people to have access to safe and adequate water there are still communities that are deprived of this right.”
He said with appropriate investment and plans by the central government, municipal authorities and development partners water could be brought to all communities in the country.
Mr Abubakar stated that “To reach universal access to drinking water, sanitation and hygiene by 2030, the current rates of progress would need to increase four-fold and achieving these targets would save 829,000 people annually, who die from diseases directly attributable to unsafe water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene practices.”
The residents of Opah appealed to the Ghana Water Company Limited to extend potable water to the township while calling on non-governmental organisation and philanthropists to support them with the drilling of boreholes in their homes as water has become scarce in the area.
Mr Elorm Avemegah, who represented the Municipal Chief Executive for Ga West said water was a necessity and assured the people that their concerns would be taken up by the Assembly to ensure access to potable water.
He called on civil society organisations to also come on board by lobbying for public private partnerships to help the community.
GNA