Accra (Greater Accra), 28th April ?99 -

Mr Peter Kpordugbe, former director of the National Service Scheme, on Tuesday called for regular scientific analysis of the quality of rural water bodies to ensure the safety of rural communities.

He said about 38,000 communities still depend on streams, wells and ponds, and there is the need for yearly monitoring of these sources of drinking water to check whether or not they are potable, to promote good health and development.

Mr Kpordugbe was speaking at a press briefing on the 10th Mole Conference slated for May Four to Six in Accra. The conference brings together all stakeholders in the water sector and seeks to forge them into a working group for the benefit of rural communities in need of water and sanitation facilities.

It is being organised by the Professional Network Association (ProNet), a non-governmental organisation involved in the water and sanitation sector. It is currently operating in 26 districts.

The conference is named after the Mole Game Reserve in Damango in the Northern Region, where the first two conferences were held. The first of the series was held in 1989, based on the principle that water is not just life but a fundamental human right for all.

An award ceremony to honour those who have toiled to improve water and sanitation supply coverage in the country would form part of the programme.

GRi?/