By Fatima Anafu- Astanga
Bolgatanga, Nov. 24, GNA- The Water Resources Commission has urged stakeholders of the white Volta Basin to do more to reduce annual rainfall evaporation, increase groundwater recharge and reduce surface water runoff for use in the Basin.
The advice was given at a two-day workshop of stakeholders of the White Volta Basin made up of Nakambe, Mouhoum and Faso koom counterparts from Burkina Faso, and Gambaga and Kpasenkpe sub-basin committees organized by the Water Resources Commission in partnership with Blue Deal Water in Bolgatanga.
According to the WRC, annual actual rainfall that is lost is 83.6 per cent, annual groundwater recharge is 6.6 per cent and surface groundwater inures to 9.3 per cent with an indication that so much is through evaporation and as a result, there is a need for all to take advantage of the 6.6 per cent groundwater since 9.3 per cent goes to other water bodies.
Mr Andrew Asaviansa who made the presentation on the Water cycle said over the years, the quantity of water had not seen many changes, however, it impacted heavily on all through negative human activities such as pollution.
He said increased population overuse of the same amounts of water, stressed the resource hence the critical need for an Integrated Water Resource Management approach to be adopted by all to manage the and ensure rights of people to the use of water which should ensure efficiency, equity, sustainable development and to reduce conflicts.
According to him, the White Volta tributaries include the Nakambe River while the White Volta emerges in the northeast east of Burkina Faso, flows through northern Ghana and empties into Lake Volta.
He noted that the black Volta (mouhoum), the white Volta (Nakanbe and the Oti River (Pendjari) are the main tributaries and noted that their transboundary nature required moderation, and collaboration for effective management hence the setups within the Basin to oversee the management of the resource.
He said the white Volta Basin spans five administrative regions which include the entire Upper East Region, a portion of the Upper West Region, the Northeast Region, and the Savannah Region (West Gonja) and ends at Central Gonja community.
Other presenters from Mouhoum, Faso Koom and Makambe presented interventions from their respective places. The Officer in charge of water quality and environment and monitoring from Mouhoum indicated that the transboundary collaboration with Mali spans from a 40,000 square kilometre range and deals with 100 cubic meters m3 of water which part is shared for rainy season use and another for the dry season use and it is monitored by committees to ensure that agreements related to the use of water is adhered to benefit for all.
On the need for collaboration, Mr Jesse Kasapoe, WRC in Upper East Region and White Water Basin Officer who spoke to the GNA on sidelines of the workshop said border consequences for downstream users of water were key and added that sediments come through from counterparts upstream in the White Volta during spillage and other activities and therefore such a workshop could not focus only on Ghanaian counterparts alone.
He said the workshop helped stakeholders to consolidate experiences, share ideas on how to manage the water resource and reduce the shocks that accompany the spillage of water from the Dam in Burkina Faso.
GNA