Community Water and Sanitation Agency’s water management pilot proves positive

The Community Water and Sanitation Agency’s quest to manage small water systems to ensure sustainability of water to rural communities is showing promising results, Mr Kwesi Aduafo Yankey, the Board Chairman of CWSA has said.

He stated that the Agency in 2017 as a pilot, begun to manage 89 small town piped water systems nationwide under the proposed reform programme and the outcome supports the pending National Community Water and Sanitation Policy Reform Framework (NCWSPRF).

The reform seeks to change the Agency’s current status making it a utility service provider that manage small water systems by way of taking up the day to day maintenance and sale of water to rural communities.

Mr Yankey, who was speaking at the Agency’s maiden Annual General Meeting held in Accra on Thursday, said the gains made was in consonant with the government’s Water for All Agenda and would be a giant step towards achieving that goal.

Comparing the financial performance of the Agency, he noted that CWSA saw a sharp increase in its revenue generation in the year 2018 as compared to 2017.

The jump from GHC35.73million to GHC67.12million representing 93.45 per cent, he explained was as a result of inflows from the Sustainable Rural Water and Sanitation Project and revenue from the sale of water.

The Board Chair said the WASH sub-sector required huge investments to attract the needed human capital and infrastructure towards achieving government agenda as well as the Sustainable Development Goals.

Madam Cecilia Abena Dapaah, the Minister of Sanitation and Water Resource commended the Board for their foresight to extend the WASH coverage and also manage water professionally.

She said water played a critical role in the life of humans and that people needed water to stay hydrated and it helps lubricate as well as cushion human joints, spinal cord, and tissues.

“Our kidneys are also important for filtering out waste through urination. Adequate water intake helps your kidneys work more efficiently and helps to prevent kidney stones,” she added.

The Minister said although Ghana had abundance of water there was the need to rethink of recycling water to ensure water preservation and sustainability.

Mr Worlanyo Kwadjo Siabi, Chief Executive Officer of CWSA who gave an overview of the state of WASH under the Agency said 32,466 boreholes fitted with hand pumps and 1,022 pipe systems providing coverage of about 62 percent as at 2018.

Of the total pipe systems, he stated that only 10 per cent were providing regular water to community members, while the rest had different issues making them non-functional.

He noted that they would not have recorded high number of breakdowns if the systems had professionals manning them and as part of effort of revolutionising the Agency, it had employed technical people to manage the systems.

He was of the hope that the coverage would increase due to the interventions currently on-going in regions including Central, Northern, Upper West and Savannah.

The Agency, he said had commenced a behavioral change campaign to educate people on the need to use water wisely as well as adhere to good sanitation practice.