ADDRESS THE WATER CRISIS

AS should be evident to everybody living especially in the national capital of Accra, there has been a water crisis since the latter part of last year and it appears that the situation gets worse by the day.
It is now a common sight in Accra and elsewhere to see all manner of people — young, old, men, women — carrying receptacles of all kind, but mostly empty oil containers, in search of water.
That water comprises the most basic and critical component of all aspects of human life and is an indispensable component of the life support system is what drives people to go in search of the commodity, without which life is not possible.
The most affected in this conundrum are schoolchildren who must, of necessity, take their bath before going to school, workers who must do same before getting to their workplaces, food sellers who need potable water to prepare their food, and industries which use water in the various processes of their operations.
The question the DAILY GRAPHIC wants to ask is: what has brought this critical situation about? The answers to this question may be many and varied, but the paper thinks a few are really critical to finding a lasting solution to the perennial problem of water shortage in Accra and elsewhere in Ghana.
First, the claim by Aqua Vitens Rand Limited (AVRL), the managers of the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL), that since pipelines were laid over 60 years ago, they had not seen any major rehabilitation should be addressed seriously if we have to address the water crisis in the country in the foreseeable future.
If, indeed, the water system is run on obsolete equipment, then it is no wonder that there are frequent breakdowns in the system. One cannot also leave out the frequent bursting of major pipelines which lead to the loss of large volumes of treated water which should have gone into meeting the domestic, industrial and commercial needs of consumers.
Second, there is the gradual but systematic destruction and pollution of water resources, along with the progressive encroachment of incompatible activities, which have triggered water crises everywhere in the world.
Here in Ghana, water bodies are vanishing at a fast pace, mostly as a result of human activity, and if we consider that it is these water bodies which feed our rivers which supply water to our homes and factories, then we can appreciate the extent of the problem at hand.
Third, changing global climatic conditions, brought about by the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, have affected the rate of evaporation, which has, in turn, reduced the volume of water in reservoirs.
Add to these the increase in population, especially in the cities and urban centres, and you will realise why potable water is dwindling fast.
But, in spite of these problems, the people still need water to carry on with their lives. Also, one of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is to reduce the proportion of people without access to safe drinking by half by 2015.
All over the world, one of the most sustainable water supply management interventions is the adoption of policies towards water conservation.
In Ghana, the call has been made on several occasions to do this by harvesting rain water during the rainy season for use during the dry season. If this is made a national policy, such that new buildings will have the means to harvest rain water built into them, it will go a long way to reduce the stress that come with the shortage of water during the dry season.
We may also have to think about the possibility of water recycling and reclamation and control on water wastage, especially by way of burst pipes, loss by dripping and other such means.
We should not forget the prediction that in the 21st century if there is any world war, it would be on water.