Ghana to mark World Water Day

Accra, March 20, GNA - Mr Alban Bagbin, Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing at the weekend called for an attitudinal revolution to help arrest the deteriorating quality of water for domestic and industrial use.

"Clean water is an essential ingredient for our socio-economic development and essential for life and proper functioning of the environment.

"The identified causes of deterioration in water quality include human activities such as land degradation, waste discharge from domestic, municipal, industrial and agricultural sources into rivers and aquifers," he said.

Mr Bagbin was delivering a statement on World Water Day on the floor of Parliament, which falls on Monday, March 22. It will be on the theme: "Clean water for a healthy world." Mr Bagbin said conflict in the use of water resources and widespread water pollution threatened the inland and coastal environment.

"The quality of. shared water resources is also an issue at the sub-regional and regional levels that call for pragmatic solution anchored in negotiation and dialogue."

Mr Albert Abongo, Member of Parliament for Bongo called on Ghanaians to do all they could to conserve water bodies in the country. Ms Cecilia Abena Dapaah, Member for Bantama said water purification system in Ghana was not the best taking, into account the level of pollution affecting the water bodies.

Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, Minority Leader said practices such as bush burning, surface mining and charcoal burning should be discouraged to protect the environment.