The Executive Secretary of CONIWAS, Madam Basilia Nanbigne says, rapid urbanization poses serious challenge to urban water delivery systems adding that, increasing water demand may strain the existing infrastructure, potentially leading to shortages or reduced water quality.
“Additionally, urbanization can result in pollution and contamination of water sources. As such, investing in upgrading urban water delivery infrastructure and implementing sustainable water management practices is crucial in mitigating this challenge. Incidentally, research is very crucial to understand these challenges and their effects on urban wate”.
Madam Nanbigne disclosed this during the Launch of USAID Urban WASH Project held in Accra.
“I am happy that, the two pieces of research being launched today will not only help us identify the challenges with urban water provision but also help the Ghana Water Limited – LICD identify and develop innovative pro-poor and subsidy interventions that will extend water delivery to poor urban communities including the informal communities who should still not be left behind because of their informal status. We know that the LICD is currently doing a lot, but we hope the finding of this research empowers them to establish partnerships that will expand their current scope to reach many poor urban communities in all 16 regions of Ghana”.
Research she stated, plays a vital role in water delivery and, urban water delivery by providing insights into the challenges and opportunities associated with water services provision.
She pointed out that, about 1 million people in the urban population still do not have access to water indicating that, one million people are likely to be from mostly low-income communities and new settlements.
“Research is essential for developing evidence-based policies and programs that can improve urban water delivery and promote sustainable development. For CONIWAS, we believe that this is what the Urban WASH Ghana project is offering: an opportunity to understand the current challenges with Urban water delivery in Ghana and to identify opportunities for designing innovations to improve services. The LICD of the Ghana Water Limited was initiated out of research and it has since achieved a lot since its establishment in 2004 by supporting poor urban communities’ access water”.
She was of the view that, issues of water safety, including water quality is ensured from the point of source to the point of use.
Ghana she mentioned, has made significant progress in urban water delivery in recent years making reference to the 2021 Population and Housing Census, as released by the Ghana Statistical Service which revealed that, about 96.4% of the urban populace has access to basic water supply services.
“This progress has been made possible due to interventions by the government and partners. It’s crucial to acknowledge the efforts made by the government and its partners in improving water access in Ghana. The retooling and capacity enhancement of sector agencies, such as the Ghana Water Limited (GWL), and the reforms led by the Community Water and Sanitation Agency for rural water, along with the establishment of the Low-Income Community Department, have contributed to this progress”.
She further stated, “Water quality is critical in the sector. The Multiple Cluster Indicator Survey (MICS 2017/18) indicates that 1 out of 2 sources of water (pipe connection, Borehole, well etc) are contaminated. And 3 out of 4 household have their water contaminated at home. Again the Ghana Population and Housing Census (2021) indicates that 37% of the 8.3 million households in Ghana consume sachet water as their main source of water (PHC 2021) It is important that, the confidence of the populace is built on water provided by Ghana Water Limited”.
Madam Basilia however, assured of CONIWAS support towards the project in any way possible to enable it achieve its intended objectives.
