Photography by Olivia Berry
The recent cholera outbreak in the Central Region has led many citizens to question how much is being done, and how much has already been done, to improve the availability of safe and clean water. Safe water is a basic human need, and people are looking to those in power for indicators of plans and goals for the future, and how these will be achieved so that a tragedy like this can be avoided in the future.
However, concerned residents should not be disheartened as progress is gradually being made in the Central Region. Although the Central Region has one of the lowest coverages in Ghana as a whole, which is a source of worry for many, those at Water and Sanitation have been working hard to change this with the facilities and funds and their disposal. Between 2009 and 2010, coverage in the Central Region has increased from 45.10% to 52%, showing that the needs of local people are being heard. Gustav Merrit Osiskwan, the Regional Hydrogeologist, stated that by 2015 their target is to have reached an optimistic 76% coverage, emphasising that he was confident in achieving this goal.
Notable improvements and evidence of change are manifold, and for some part rely on the donations and work of charities. Between 2005 and 2008, Unicef dug 353 holes and 53 wells to collect safe water from, and installed a mechanised water system for one community. The International Development Association (IDA) has also promised to provide 200 boreholes between now and 2016 to help provide water to small towns. As well as this, the Danish International Development Assistance (DANIDA) has installed a total of 120 boreholes in four towns in the central region, and the Rotary association have provided 20 boreholes. As a result it is clear that the need for clean water is not a problem which is going unnoticed, and many charities and organisations are stepping up to the mark to make sure that the issue is improved upon. Due to the importance of donors in the improvement of water and sanitation in the Central Region, donors are always encouraged to come to the aid of the Water and Sanitation programme, where their help would be invaluable to the lives and safety of others.
The issue has also proved sensitive for the government, who are providing 65 boreholes for the region, although it must be noted that this is distinctly lower than what many of the charities are offering.
Since the intervention of these organisations, there has been a drastic improvement in water-related diseases, which are used as a strong indicator of how successful new sanitation methods are. Diseases such as diarrhoea and cholera, among others, are caused by unsafe water, so decrease in their frequency is a clear sign for Osiskwan that significant progress is being made. He also highlighted the importance of maintaining basic hygiene in order to curb disease and illness, such as making to sure to wash one’s hands after using the toilet and making sure that clean water is not contaminated with unclean substances.
The basis and foundation of the Water and Sanitation programme, explained Osiskwan, was to distinguish which areas correspond to the three basic service levels, and to work from there. The first encompasses communities with populations of around 300 people, who receive a point water system, whereby residents must walk to a well or borehole fitted with a hand pump. This comes under the rough, approximate calculation of providing one borehole for 300 people. Nevertheless, as Osiskwan admitted, they must also take into account how scattered or close together the community is, as this would affect how far people would have to come to collect water. Although one hole or well per 300 people may not sound like enough, it is a strong and essential starting point which can then be built upon to provide more water supply.
Moving up from communities of 300, the next service level takes into account communities of roughly 300-2000 residents, who would ideally receive 3 to 5 boreholes, or they will have one borehole which is piped to several places, which is easier and more cost effective.
The next and final service level is for towns with a population of over 2000, who should subsequently receive a small town water supply system, involving piped, clean water in every home. This is obviously the ultimate model for any community, and hopefully in the future all homes will have clean, running water in them, akin to most developed countries.
Nevertheless, although these different service levels show much promise in theory, it is evident that there is still a lot of work to be done before these ideals are achieved for every community in the central region. Many towns and villages continue to expand, which places increasing pressure on those that supply sanitation and water services to keep up with the needs of the population. Indeed, these levels are starting points and basic structures on which to build even stronger water facilities in the future. One borehole for every 300 members of the community is a vital and realistic goal, however hopefully in the future this will be built upon to make sure that everybody can easily access safe water.
Osiskwan concurred that it would ideally be extremely beneficial if every new home was fitted with plumbing facilities, however although in theory this could happen, in reality it would be a different story, as many do not have the money for this, and it would be near impossible in some rural areas, where most other houses do not have internal plumbing. It would also be incredibly difficult to officially monitor whether or not all new homes were being fitted with plumbing in some small communities.
He also emphasised that the money that people must pay to use the water wells – normally about 5 pesewas per bucket – went straight to the cleaning and maintenance of the water supply points, and towards training people in the community to look after them. He highlighted that in this way, the power was being put into the communities’ hands, making them self sufficient and unreliant on the interventions and support of others. After the borehole or well is introduced, they can look after it by themselves with the money received, and hence have control over their own water supply, giving the community a deserved sense of independence and an ability to provide for their neighbours.
Therefore, although there is still a lot of work to be done in the Central Region to make sure that everybody has at least basic, practical access to safe, clean drinking water, with a coverage of 52%, the problem is gradually being tackled with the help of a number of influential organisations, showing that there is optimism and hope for the future. The cholera outbreak has certainly acted as a further wake up call to those in power, and it will hopefully draw attention to the work that is already being done to make the Central Region a place where safe water will be accessible for all.
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