Denmark expresses commitment to help address water challenges

The Embassy of Denmark has expressed commitment to help address Ghana’s water-related challenges.

The Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy, Vibeke Sandholm Pedersen, said despite the country's abundant water resources, access to safe and clean water remained a crucial issue.

“Water is life and lack of it brings stress and struggles which sometimes lead to chaotic situations, including fights between communities and even neighbouring countries sharing the same water sources,” she added.

She, therefore, described this year’s theme for the World Water Day celebration, — "Water for peace," which was commemorated around the globe last Friday, as apt.

Support

Ms Pedersen mentioned initiatives such as the Danida Sustainable Infrastructure Finance (DSIF), which is conducting a feasibility study with the Ghana Water Limited (GWL) to establish a drinking water plant at Aveyime as part of her country’s support to the sector.

Ms Pedersen said the project would improve water supply to about 1.2 million people in the Eastern part of the Greater Accra Region, including Tema.

“Our Strategic Sector Cooperation (SSC) on water, which has been running since 2019, is instrumental in assisting Ghana to establish a more reliable and strong water sector by matching technical staff from Denmark and Ghana for knowledge exchange,” she added.

Ms Pedersen also said Denmark and Ghana would construct the first-ever leakage detection training field at the Ghana Water Institute at Weija.

Challenges

The Chief Manager of Low Income Customer Support at GWL, Faustina Boakye, highlighted challenges faced by low-income urban residents, with approximately 75 per cent of them relying on the company's network for water supply.

“With over 20 million residents living in low-income urban areas, approximately 75 per cent rely on the company's network which comprises 91 systems, 14,000 km distribution and around 800,000 connections.

“Despite significant strides made possible by the government, challenges persist. Many residents, especially in the low-income urban communities, continue to grapple with limited access to water and, therefore, rely on neighbours, standpipes and third-party vendors and sometimes water from polluted sources,” she said.

Ms Boakye emphasised the importance of ensuring equitable access to clean water to alleviate economic burdens and also mitigate health hazards in vulnerable communities.