Commentary

Prioritize groundwater for affordability

By Fred Boasiako Antwi

Understanding the importance of water to life, it is often metaphorically stated that “water is life”, and indeed it is life. Water and sanitation measures are key to poverty reduction, economic growth and environmental sustainability. However, the commodity is depleting fast, causing water shortages in many parts of the world. Several threats such as climate change, rapid population growth, urbanization, and exploitation of water among others are threatening the continuous availability and accessibility of water. Water crisis is a global one; hence water must be used sustainably.

Considering the invaluable importance of this finite resource and the threats on its continuous availability and access, the United Nations prioritized the commodity when it initiated the Sustainable Development Goals SDG’S in 2015. The sixth “outcome-oriented targets” include Safe and affordable drinking water; end open defecation and provide access to sanitation, and hygiene, improve water quality, wastewater treatment and safe reuse, increase water-use efficiency and ensure freshwater supplies. The two “means of achieving” targets are to expand water and sanitation support to developing countries, and to support local engagement in water and sanitation management. Despite this target, however, access to clean and affordable water remains a challenge.

This year, the focus on World Water Day was on groundwater and how it can be accessed. Groundwater is an important water resource in Ghana and contributes immensely to the growing water demand. The rural water supply in Ghana is mainly from groundwater. Over 10,000 boreholes can be found across the country supplying water to rural and urban households. Groundwater, therefore, holds a huge potential to contribute to the water demand of the country. This is why stakeholders in the water supply chain especially the Ghana Water Company Limited must begin to look at ways to access groundwater. We are being told that the GWCL is proposing a hundred percent increase in water tariffs.

This development will further worsen the plight of the ordinary Ghanaian whose salary is nothing to write home about. The quality of groundwater is relatively good in Ghana except for some cases of localized pollution and areas with high levels of iron, fluoride and other minerals. Salinity in certain groundwater occurrences is also found especially in some coastal aquifers. Nonetheless, this cannot be taken for granted. More efforts need to be made to protect groundwater from exploitation and pollution. Exploring, protecting and sustainably using groundwater will be central to surviving and adapting to climate change and meeting the needs of a growing population.

For sustainable, equitable and efficient water resources use, there is the need for full implementation of Integrated water resources management (IWRM) – an integrated approach that promotes coordination among all stakeholders in the water sector. IWRM is a means of achieving three thematic objectives of efficiency, equity and sustainability. Furthermore, regulations on the use of groundwater in Ghana should be fully enforced. Through these efforts, we would be charting the path towards sustainability of groundwater resources and gradually making water accessibility easy and affordable.