WaterAid’s State of the World’s Water 2018: The Water Gap examines the countries in the world with the highest percentages and largest numbers of people who cannot get clean water within a half hour round trip, as well as those with the most progress, and demonstrates the sizeable gap between the rich and poor when it comes to access to water.

Ghana has 78% water coverage, according to the most recent UNICEF-WHO Joint Monitoring Programme figures.

Today, 844 million people globally do not have clean water, a number which has risen from last year.  This is in part because those who are not able to fetch water within a half hour round trip no longer count as having access to water, compounding pressures from urbanization, population growth, shock weather events and poor financing and prioritization of water supply.

The report comes as nations prepare for a July 2018 review of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 6, to deliver water and sanitation to everyone, everywhere by 2030.

Among the main findings, Eritrea, Papua New Guinea and Uganda, are the three countries with the lowest access to clean water close to their homes, with Uganda being a new addition to the list this year at 38% access.

Mozambique ranks fourth in the table of countries making greatest progress in water provision, but remains 10th in the world for lowest access to water. Its capital city, Maputo, is currently experiencing severe water shortages and is now preparing for rationing.

Almost every country struggling to provide its people with clean water also has a huge gap in access between richest and poorest.

For instance, in Niger, only 41% of the poorest people have access to water, while 72% of its wealthiest do. In neighbouring Mali, the gap widens to 45% and 93%, respectively. In Uganda, only 35% of the poorest have access to clean water close to home, while 72% of the wealthy do.

India, while still having the most people without clean water, is also near the top of the list for most people reached: more than 300 million between 2000 and 2015, or nearly equivalent to the population of the United States.

Abdul-Nashiru Mohammed, the Country Director of Ghana said “Cape Town is a wake-up call for all of us, reminding us that access to water, our most precious resource, is increasingly under threat. Those marginalised or living in a slum or remote rural community, are hardest to reach and will continue to suffer as long as governments do not prioritise and fund access to water for all.”

This World Water Day, WaterAid Ghana has thus called on the Government to support Nature Based Solutions (NBS).

Therefore, the organisation said there is an urgent need for the Government and all its MMDAs to do the following:

• Restore wetlands
• Reconnect rivers to flood plains
• Replenish forest and (protect all existing forests)
• Ensure buffers are maintained along rivers and streams
• Consider the use of sand dams in the one village one dam policy
• Ensure that various commitments made in addressing water issues in Ghana are fulfilled.

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Source: Water Aid

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According to the International Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), the clarion call comes at a time when many schools have no regular access to water, basic private toilets and facilities for washing hands with soap.

The Communications and Campaign Officer of WaterAid Ghana, Ms Yvonne Kafui Nyaku, who made the call when she addressed a durbar to commemorate this year’s Global Hand Washing Day in the Aberingabisi community in the Bongo District, said the problems in schools without decent toilet facilities are that, girls are likely to miss lessons or drop out of school once they start menstruating due to the unavailability of decent places for them to change.

“They don’t have that privacy to change their sanitary towels and pads so they stay away from school. Children also miss lessons because they have to cut lessons to go and do their own thing in the bush,” she indicated.

She called for prioritization of water, sanitation and hygiene in schools, health centres and other public institutions.

“Health care givers are exposed to all sort of diseases, they risk their lives because they don’t have access to water to wash their hands well, especially after handling patients,” she added.

The Global Hand washing Day is a global advocacy day dedicated to increasing awareness and understanding the importance of hand washing with soap.

This year’s celebration was on the theme: “Our hands, our future”.

The Upper East Regional Minister, Rockson Ayine Bukari, urged parents and teachers to instill the attitude of hand washing with soap in children, especially while they are young.

He said an award scheme will be instituted to acknowledge communities that perform credibly in ending open defecation in the region.

The Bongo District Chief Executive, Peter Ayinbisa in a speech read on his behalf, announced the assembly’s intention to build 14 boreholes by close of the year 2017, and 20 others in 2018, to augment the provision of potable drinking water in the district.

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Source: GNA

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This was after about 717 police officers secured a default judgment of over 4.4 million Ghana cedis against the state for being made to retire compulsorily by the Police Administration.

Appearing before a commission investigating past judgment debt payments, Anthony Kokroko lamented over the defense provided by the AG.

He said, “Even though we might not have any defense, it was prudent and imperative that at least we defended the action, so what were the Attorney General people doing? ”

He added that some of the police officers who had been compensated had, in fact, genuinely retired.

Mr. Kokroko believed that the information, had it been presented to the court by the AG, might have led to a different judgement.

By: Edwin Kwakofi/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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