By Kofi Ahovi
Government is considering a new legislation that would encourage an efficient recycling and re-use of waste water especially by food and beverages industries, which use heavy amounts of water in their operations.
The new legislation would ensure that businesses either pay tax on waste water or purify it for re-use.
The Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Alban Bagbin, who announced this last week during the Meet-the-press session, said the practice is working in other parts of the world and is reaping enormous benefits in water savings.
According to the minister, the new legislation has become necessary in order to saving the fast depleting water in the country.
The amount of raw water available to Ghanaians has reduced by a factor of three from 1960 to 2010 and this is expected to reduce further by a factor of six in 2050. This is as a result of population growth, urbanization, wanton destruction of water infrastructure leading to wastage and pollution.
He said "It is regrettable that in the face of water shortages and other challenges, many of us still splash our lawns and gardens and also wash our cars with expensively treated water that other Ghanaians would queue and fight to get."
He further announced that the ministry would soon come out with a policy on harvesting rainwater as a way of life and noted that with the availability of water purifying equipment on the market, rainwater could be harvested and made wholesome to supplement the country's over stretched supply system.
"Our long term plan is to enact appropriate legislation to be implemented through authorities such as the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies to incorporate and enforce the harvesting of rain water in new building designs," he added.
Bagbin said they would further establish an inter-agency coordination unit for the efficient and sustainable use of water resources mentioning sectors like agriculture, energy, transport, tourism, roads and highways as some notable agencies that had a stake in the use of water one way or the other.
He said management of the 81 water systems in the country was contracted to Aqua Vitens Rand Limited (AVRL) in 2006 and the contract was due to expire in June 2011, assuring Ghanaians that government together with its development partners was seriously studying the performance of AVRL and other options for improving the overall management of the urban water sector.
Commenting on the rural water sector, Bagbin said the ministry was putting in place new initiatives to keep and sustain the functioning of water systems in the rural areas.
He announced that government was partnering some organisations to ensure sustainable water supply in the rural areas, adding that the ministry has established a project dubbed "Sustainable Services at Scale, Triple-S," that aims at developing business models that would ensure on-going maintenance and repairs of water systems in the rural areas.
"We are exploring available and affordable technologies such as the use of solar powered pumps to enable rural communities to have access to water at affordable cost," he added.
Bagbin advised Ghanaians to use water wisely, saying, "The success of making potable water available to all Ghanaians depends on what happens in your home, office, communities, towns and cities".
Government is considering a new legislation that would encourage an efficient recycling and re-use of waste water especially by food and beverages industries, which use heavy amounts of water in their operations.
The new legislation would ensure that businesses either pay tax on waste water or purify it for re-use.
The Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Alban Bagbin, who announced this last week during the Meet-the-press session, said the practice is working in other parts of the world and is reaping enormous benefits in water savings.
According to the minister, the new legislation has become necessary in order to saving the fast depleting water in the country.
The amount of raw water available to Ghanaians has reduced by a factor of three from 1960 to 2010 and this is expected to reduce further by a factor of six in 2050. This is as a result of population growth, urbanization, wanton destruction of water infrastructure leading to wastage and pollution.
He said "It is regrettable that in the face of water shortages and other challenges, many of us still splash our lawns and gardens and also wash our cars with expensively treated water that other Ghanaians would queue and fight to get."
He further announced that the ministry would soon come out with a policy on harvesting rainwater as a way of life and noted that with the availability of water purifying equipment on the market, rainwater could be harvested and made wholesome to supplement the country's over stretched supply system.
"Our long term plan is to enact appropriate legislation to be implemented through authorities such as the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies to incorporate and enforce the harvesting of rain water in new building designs," he added.
Bagbin said they would further establish an inter-agency coordination unit for the efficient and sustainable use of water resources mentioning sectors like agriculture, energy, transport, tourism, roads and highways as some notable agencies that had a stake in the use of water one way or the other.
He said management of the 81 water systems in the country was contracted to Aqua Vitens Rand Limited (AVRL) in 2006 and the contract was due to expire in June 2011, assuring Ghanaians that government together with its development partners was seriously studying the performance of AVRL and other options for improving the overall management of the urban water sector.
Commenting on the rural water sector, Bagbin said the ministry was putting in place new initiatives to keep and sustain the functioning of water systems in the rural areas.
He announced that government was partnering some organisations to ensure sustainable water supply in the rural areas, adding that the ministry has established a project dubbed "Sustainable Services at Scale, Triple-S," that aims at developing business models that would ensure on-going maintenance and repairs of water systems in the rural areas.
"We are exploring available and affordable technologies such as the use of solar powered pumps to enable rural communities to have access to water at affordable cost," he added.
Bagbin advised Ghanaians to use water wisely, saying, "The success of making potable water available to all Ghanaians depends on what happens in your home, office, communities, towns and cities".
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