Water rationing is nothing new – Minister

The Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Alhaji Collins Dauda has stated that water rationing is not new in the country.

The Minister made the statement at this year’s World Water Day celebration, which was held under the theme, ‘International Year of Water Cooperation.’

“We have always rationed water between Accra and Tema since I was young and it has not changed. It cannot change in one year or two years because as we speak today, if you conduct a research into the need for water in Accra and Tema, the figures may vary because population has increased, development has expanded and demand for water therefore will be different from the figures that we have now. We need to approach this problem in a systematic and productive manner,” Alhaji Dauda told DAILY GUIDE.

According to the Minister, a treatment plant, which is expected to pump 40 million gallons of water a day, is being constructed at Kpone in the Eastern Region to help address the current water crisis. The treatment plant is expected to be completed in December 2014.

Reports indicate that currently, the Ghana Urban Water Limited needs to produce 34 million gallon daily to satisfy the needs of residents in Accra and Tema.

“We need to address this matter in a systematic and productive manner. I cannot say that I will solve this crisis tomorrow or the next day, it is an impossibility and I don’t want to lie to Ghanaians,” he noted.

He therefore urged Ghanaians to adopt good maintenance culture and also set up management teams in the various communities to fix minor problems regarding pipelines and boreholes.

“Let us begin to be responsible as Ghanaians; everything must not be put on the head of the government. When we give you the facility, manage it. We are appealing to the communities who are lucky to have boreholes to set up management teams to manage the boreholes so that when it breaks down, you will require something small to fix it or maintain it. This is what my village has been doing for a long time and I expect every community to be able to adopt this strategy of management.”

A statement read on behalf the United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon noted that “No message on water should pass without mentioning sanitation. While the Millennium Development Goal target for providing access to improved water sources has been reached, we are woefully short on sanitation. We count the cost in lives – 4,500 young children a day – and economic productivity. Yet us know that every dollar spent on sanitation can bring a five-fold return.”