By: Franklin ASARE-DONKOH
An International Non-governmental Organization (INGO), World Vision Ghana (WVG), is urging the government of the Republic of Ghana through the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, and all relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), as well as Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to prioritize the delivery of safe drinking water in schools and healthcare facilities.
WVG has also called on the government and its allied agencies to implement concrete measures to accelerate access to safe drinking water in schools and healthcare facilities across the country.
According to WVG, accelerating access to safe drinking water in schools and healthcare facilities will promote quality basic education, maternal and child health, and the general well-being of children and their families.
In a statement issued to commemorate the 2024 edition of the World Water Day celebrations, the child wellbeing-centered International Non-Governmental Organization, congratulated the government and all stakeholders for the progress made so far and the effort being made towards the sustainable delivery of safe drinking water to every Ghanaian everywhere.
It explained further that access to safe water is both a catalyst and an enabler for growth and socio-economic development. Indeed no strategy for poverty reduction can ignore people’s vital requirement for safe drinking water.
“As believers in a better world for children, we believe that nothing can be more important to child wellbeing than access to safe drinking water.
So, we join practitioners and all well-meaning Ghanaians, in calling on the Government of Ghana to take immediate steps on the following to ensure the realization of national and SDG targets for safe drinking water:
1. Prioritize safe water as a key driver of national development; Access to safe water is both a catalyst and an enabler for growth and socio-economic development. Indeed no strategy for poverty reduction can ignore people’s vital requirement for safe drinking water. World Vision believes that the delivery of safe water should be a top national development priority.
2. Implement sustainable measures to improve the quality of water; Studies reveal that there are various challenges with water quality both at point sources and also at the household level. Exposure to unsafe water puts children and their families at risk of diseases and preventable deaths.
Contaminated water also retards the cognitive development and the well-being of children. We call on the Government and all development partners to sustainably implement the water safety planning approach within the National Drinking Water Quality Management Framework to ensure that drinking water remains safe at all times.
3. Accelerate access to safe drinking water in schools and healthcare facilities; To promote quality basic education, maternal and child health, and the general well-being of children and their families, we call on the Government and the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education and all relevant ministries, departments and agencies, and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies to prioritize the delivery of safe drinking water in schools and healthcare facilities.
4. Deepen transboundary water cooperation and the prevention of conflicts around drinking water sources and freshwater resources; When water is scarce or polluted, or when people have unequal or no access to water, tensions can rise between individuals, communities, and countries.
Within the context of the theme for World Water Day 2024 “WATER FOR PEACE”, World Vision Ghana urges the Government to address the inequalities and promote equitable access to safe drinking water and freshwater resources.
World Vision Ghana reiterates its commitment to partnering with government, development partners, private sector, NGOs/CSOs, academic and research institutions, and all relevant stakeholders towards preserving our water resources and achieving universal access to safe drinking water.” Portions of the statement read.
