Home burials threatens quality of underground water – CWSA

The Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) in the Upper West Region says, emerging trends such as burials in homes and unmarked burial grounds is projected to bring a lot of unforeseen water quality challenges.

The CWSA says it is an undeniable truth that, most of groundwater reserves might have been polluted with leachate of burial related materials, faecal matter or other solid waste materials.

Mr. Worlanyo Siabi, Regional Director of CWSA made this to known at a stakeholders workshop to discuss progress on the sustainable rural water and sanitation project and challenges related to sustainability of facilities, water quality and sanitation in the region held in Wa.

Traditional rulers, government departmental heads and some non-governmental organisations involved in the provision of water attended the forum.

Mr. Siabi said sanitation delivery in the region had remained problematic, which he noted, required serious thinking and approaches to deal with.

He said the region had been able to achieve just a little lower than 10 per cent coverage of improved sanitation but made some tremendous achievements in the water sector.

Mr. Siabi, said by the end of 2015, the region would have about 2,750 boreholes fitted with hand pumps and 34 piped water systems serving more than 40 small towns.

Alhaji Sulemana Amidu, Upper West Regional Minister, who graced the forum, told the traditional leaders in the region that, being the custodians of the land, they should help in resolving burial issues to help protect water resources and improve its quality.

He said stakeholders must always make an effort to follow up on water and sanitation issues and not wait till they become a menace.

Alhaji Amidu urged participants to help keep the region clean, devoid of cholera and other related diseases as it is being experienced in some parts of Ghana.

Naa Sohimininye Gore Danah II, Paramount Chief of the Dorimon Traditional Area appealed to people in the communities to endeavour to keep their surroundings clean at all times to avoid malaria and other water borne diseases.