Ghana to Move From 59% to 63% in Rural Water Coverage
EDMUND SMITH-ASANTE
Ghana’s Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing (MWRWH), Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has outlined steps by his Ministry, to ensure Ghana remains on track to meet the Millennium Development Goal for Water by 2015.
The Minister stated that although according to the World Water Council, nine out of 10 of the one billion people who lack access to potable water worldwide live in rural areas and the UN Millennium Development Goal aims to reduce that number by half, “the drive to increase access to rural water systems neglects the critical factor of sustainability and maintenance of existing water systems.”
Speaking in Accra today during his turn at the Meet-the-Press series, which is a platform created by the Ghana government for its Ministries and agencies to address the media on pertinent issues concerning the various sectors of the economy, he said some rural areas, as well as some in his own constituency are known to be graveyards of nonperforming pumps, with repeated projects providing short term solutions.
Thus, he said to move away from this game plan which has existed over the past years, the government, with the support of development partners, and through the Community, Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA), has provided access to water and water related sanitation services to communities and small towns.
Hon. Bagbin said the current coverage is about 59% of the rural communities with an estimated total population of 12.3 million people and to accelerate the provision and sustainability of water facilities in the rural and small towns, it is their duty to move the water to the people.
“As a result of that, in 2009 alone, Community Water and Sanitation Agency completed the installation of 588 boreholes, rehabilitated 40 boreholes, installed 18 pipe schemes, and completed 17 hand dug wells,” he disclosed.
The Minister said in order to improve rural water coverage, the same agency is implementing this year, a number of projects, most of which are at very advanced stages. He said it involves the drilling of 1,645 boreholes and the rehabilitation of 50 distressed ones.
He revealed that they are also going to install 82 pipe schemes and complete 20 hand dug wells, adding that it is their expectation that when the targets for this year are achieved, rural water coverage will rise from the current 59% to 63% and Ghana will be on track to achieving the MDG target for rural water of 76% by 2015.
Touching on sustainability, Hon. Bagbin said the MWRWH is putting in place new initiatives to keep and sustain the functioning of the water systems. “We will partner and give our full support to like-minded organisations willing to do things differently and sustainably,” he pledged.
According to the Minister, two of such partnerships are the pilot projects called Sustainable Services Scheme dubbed SSS, Rotary International and USAID, adding that both partnerships were launched two months ago.
Hon. Alban Bagbin who has just marked his 100th day in office, divulged that the SSS project will work in collaboration with government, planners, donors and water service providers, towards ending the cycle or failures that cause wells, pumps and pipe systems in the rural areas to require replacement every few years.
“The SSS will aim at developing scalable business models that will ensure ongoing maintenance and repairs of water systems.” He said “The Ministry has an eye on this, and will ensure early execution of the project.
The Water Resources Minister indicated that the decision to embark on the pilots was informed by available data that indicates that a bit above 30% of systems put in rural areas break down within a few years and are no longer sustainable or functioning, but remain in records as systems that have been provided.
This, Hon. Bagbin said, will not only ensure that systems are not only added to, but that existing systems are functioning and coverage realistic.
Touching on another issue of sustainability, he affirmed that although water is a basic human right, a social good and may be seen as a birth right, it is a scarce resource, both in quantity and in quality.
He said in view of this, “We need to appreciate the painful truth, that although water springs freely from the earth and the heavens, treatment plants, pipes and pumps, unfortunately do not.”
The Water Resources Minister maintained that every drop of water drawn from the surface or bowels of the earth is paid for. He continued that it was therefore the intention of his Ministry to engage with all Ghanaians to assist balance the equation of depletion and replenishing, cost and pricing.
To him, this will ensure sustainability of the water resources, water quality and water systems.
Ghana’s Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing (MWRWH), Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has outlined steps by his Ministry, to ensure Ghana remains on track to meet the Millennium Development Goal for Water by 2015.
The Minister stated that although according to the World Water Council, nine out of 10 of the one billion people who lack access to potable water worldwide live in rural areas and the UN Millennium Development Goal aims to reduce that number by half, “the drive to increase access to rural water systems neglects the critical factor of sustainability and maintenance of existing water systems.”
Speaking in Accra today during his turn at the Meet-the-Press series, which is a platform created by the Ghana government for its Ministries and agencies to address the media on pertinent issues concerning the various sectors of the economy, he said some rural areas, as well as some in his own constituency are known to be graveyards of nonperforming pumps, with repeated projects providing short term solutions.
Thus, he said to move away from this game plan which has existed over the past years, the government, with the support of development partners, and through the Community, Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA), has provided access to water and water related sanitation services to communities and small towns.
Hon. Bagbin said the current coverage is about 59% of the rural communities with an estimated total population of 12.3 million people and to accelerate the provision and sustainability of water facilities in the rural and small towns, it is their duty to move the water to the people.
“As a result of that, in 2009 alone, Community Water and Sanitation Agency completed the installation of 588 boreholes, rehabilitated 40 boreholes, installed 18 pipe schemes, and completed 17 hand dug wells,” he disclosed.
The Minister said in order to improve rural water coverage, the same agency is implementing this year, a number of projects, most of which are at very advanced stages. He said it involves the drilling of 1,645 boreholes and the rehabilitation of 50 distressed ones.
He revealed that they are also going to install 82 pipe schemes and complete 20 hand dug wells, adding that it is their expectation that when the targets for this year are achieved, rural water coverage will rise from the current 59% to 63% and Ghana will be on track to achieving the MDG target for rural water of 76% by 2015.
Touching on sustainability, Hon. Bagbin said the MWRWH is putting in place new initiatives to keep and sustain the functioning of the water systems. “We will partner and give our full support to like-minded organisations willing to do things differently and sustainably,” he pledged.
According to the Minister, two of such partnerships are the pilot projects called Sustainable Services Scheme dubbed SSS, Rotary International and USAID, adding that both partnerships were launched two months ago.
Hon. Alban Bagbin who has just marked his 100th day in office, divulged that the SSS project will work in collaboration with government, planners, donors and water service providers, towards ending the cycle or failures that cause wells, pumps and pipe systems in the rural areas to require replacement every few years.
“The SSS will aim at developing scalable business models that will ensure ongoing maintenance and repairs of water systems.” He said “The Ministry has an eye on this, and will ensure early execution of the project.
The Water Resources Minister indicated that the decision to embark on the pilots was informed by available data that indicates that a bit above 30% of systems put in rural areas break down within a few years and are no longer sustainable or functioning, but remain in records as systems that have been provided.
This, Hon. Bagbin said, will not only ensure that systems are not only added to, but that existing systems are functioning and coverage realistic.
Touching on another issue of sustainability, he affirmed that although water is a basic human right, a social good and may be seen as a birth right, it is a scarce resource, both in quantity and in quality.
He said in view of this, “We need to appreciate the painful truth, that although water springs freely from the earth and the heavens, treatment plants, pipes and pumps, unfortunately do not.”
The Water Resources Minister maintained that every drop of water drawn from the surface or bowels of the earth is paid for. He continued that it was therefore the intention of his Ministry to engage with all Ghanaians to assist balance the equation of depletion and replenishing, cost and pricing.
To him, this will ensure sustainability of the water resources, water quality and water systems.
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