Sanitation Updates

Imroving sanitation and wastewater treatment in Ghana’s cities and towns is the focus of a week-long event being led by a De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) researcher.

Parneet Paul, of the University’s Water Software Systems Research Group, has organised the workshop, which will be held in the West African country’s capital, Accra and will be attended by local scientists, researchers and engineers.

Wastewater is water which has been contaminated while being used for a specific purpose. Contaminants typically include sewage, biological materials or industrial by-products.

The workshop will focus on the use of new sanitation methods to treat, reduce and reuse wastewater generated on-site by large facilities, such as hospitals, public slaughterhouses, city markets and local businesses.

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By Anita Nyarko, Sat, 10 May 2008, General News

THE Minister of Local Government, Rural Development and Environment, Mr Kwadwo Adjei Darko, has advised Ghanaians to change their behaviour and attitudes towards environmental sanitation.

He said environmental sanitation must be a collective effort of all, and not for the government alone adding that ‘we must ensure compliance with sanitation regulations and enforcement of bye-laws to promote a healthy environment’.    (…)

Read all The Ghanaian Times

The vice President of the Republic of Ghana, H.E. Alhaji Aliu Mahama yesterday, in Accra, launched the Ghana sanitation campaign and called on all stakeholders to see environmental sanitation as a key challenging issue which requires immediate attention. He said funding of sanitation services are generally capital intensive and therefore the responsibility must not be left to government or the Municipal and Metropolitan District Assemblies (MMDAs) alone.

This was contain in an address read on his behalf, Alhaji Mahama noted that the Ministry of Local Government Rural Development and Environment (MLGRDE) which has the over sight responsibility has initiated a number of programmes which seek to reverse the downward trend in the sanitation situation in the country.

Read More - Modern Ghana

The vice President of the Republic of Ghana, H.E. Alhaji Aliu Mahama yesterday, in Accra, launched the Ghana sanitation campaign and called on all stakeholders to see environmental sanitation as a key challenging issue which requires immediate attention.      (…)

He called on public and private sector players, development allies, traditional rulers and the civil society to see the current sanitation problem as a national issue and deal with it as such. The campaign is under the theme: ‘Repackaging Sanitation for Accelerated National Development’.

Read all ModernGhana.com

The water needs of communities along the Tano River Basin received a boost as the Coca-Cola Africa Foundation and the United States Government yesterday launched a 500,000 dollar initiative to improve access to safe drinking water and sanitation services in the area.

The project dubbed: ‘Transboundary Community Water Management Alliance,’ located at the Tano River Basin border area between Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire, would support the sustainable use and management of the River Basin, and contribute good relations between both neighbouring countries through communication on sustainable water resource management.

The US-based non-governmental organisations CARE International have the responsibility of implementing the three-year initiative. The project, which was initiated in November 2007, has made significant strides on both sides of the border, with the completion of community water action plans, formation and training of water and sanitation committees and the establishment of community nurseries.

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The 33rd Water, Engineering and Development Centre (WEDC) International Conference ended in Accra last Friday with a call for strong advocacy and political will to address sanitation issues in Africa.

The five-day conference, which attracted over 300 participants from Africa and Asia, called for hard work and frank discussions on sanitation to save over 2.6 billion people in Africa living without safe and hygienic places of convenience.

Mr John Lane, a member of the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council of WEDC, said Africa was not doing well in managing sanitation, despite an increase in population.  He said the continent should, apart from the health and social benefits, consider the income generation potential in proper sanitation management.

Read More - Modern Ghana

Experts in the field of water and sanitation have gathered to share their knowledge at an international conference opening Monday in Accra, Ghana. The meeting is a collaborative effort by Ghana’s Ministry of Works and Housing and the Water Engineering and Development Center (WEDC) at Loughborough University in Britain. Minta Aboagye is the chairman of the local organizing committee of the conference. He told VOA reporter Joana Mantey that the weeklong meeting will identify challenges in meeting the Millennium development goals, which advocate improving access to clean water and sanitation by 2015.

Read More - Voice of America

The Mayor of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Stanley Nii Adjiri Blankson has said that good sanitation is the foundation of health, dignity and development. He said this at the launching of the International Year of Sanitation held in Accra.

Speaking on the theme ‘Building partnership for improved sanitation’, he said sanitation issue are not the responsibility of government alone and that through partnership, great strides could be made in good sanitation delivery in the country.

The Greater Accra Regional Minister Shiek I C Quaye observed that sanitation is the basis for development in the country. “It is important therefore to give sanitation the attention it deserves”. He said there is the need to allocate more resources to sanitation and enforce sanitation bye-laws as well as promoting education in schools and homes.

Read More - The Statesman

The Supreme Court on Tuesday gave the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) three months to come out with a comprehensive plan to phase out the practice, whereby human excreta is carried by some people in society.

The court’s order followed an agreement reached between Mr Stanley Amarteifio, counsel for AMA and Nana Adjei Ampofo, an Accra legal practitioner, who instituted an action against the Assembly for engaging the services of certain persons as carriers of human waste.

Read More - Myjoyonline

33^rd WEDC International Conference - Access to Sanitation and Safe Water: Global Partnerships and Local Actions
Location: Accra, Ghana
Dates: 7-11 April 2008

The conference is organized around four main themes:

• Water Resources
• Water Supply
• Environmental Sanitation
• Institutional and Management Issues

Lasting five days and hosted by Ghana’s Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing, the conference will attract around 500 delegates from across the world. More than 120 papers and posters will be presented during the event, which will also feature informal discussion groups, debates and workshops.

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