The Coalition of NGOs in Water and Sanitation (CONIWAS) has warned of more difficult times ahead of people in the Northern region in accessing clean drinking water.
According to CONIWAS, inhabitants in the North have to prepare themselves for the annual water crisis if stakeholders fail to take steps to halt the activities of sand winning along the white Volta basin.
The already existing annual water shortage during the dry season they say might worsen if pragmatic measures are not put in place as soon as possible to curtail activities that destroy the water bodies.
CONIWAS’s warning follows erratic water supply in Tamale Metropolis and surrounding communities. The Ghana Water Company close to a decade has found it difficult to supply the needed amount of clean water to the people of the Northern region especially in the dry season largely due to unregulated human activities along with the main sources of the raw water.
The sand winning activities has increased the turbidity of the water at the intake plant in Nawuni, especially during the dry season. The situation has affected the production capacity of the Ghana Water company limited as it now produces only 60 % of its production capacity.
According to Nii Abbey, the public relations officer of GWCL in the Northern region, GWCL as it stands produces 7 million gallons of water in a day when it’s supposed to produce 20 million gallons in a day. The situation has forced GWCL to introduce a 10-day water rationing in the Tamale Metropolis and its surrounding districts.
Northern Zonal Coordinator of CONIWAS Ibrahim Abdul Ganiu who expressed worry over the situation said it was necessary for authorities to protect all water bodies in the country to prevent a future water crisis.
Source: Starrfm.com
