On Thursday World Water Day 2018, the Faculty of Development Studies of the Presbyterian University College, Ghana has issued a statement imploring Ghanaians to adopt water conservation practices.
Portions of the statement reads “As we celebrate World Water Day, let us remember that nature is pivotal in the provision of water. Let us protect our environment. Supply, distribution, purification, cycling, recycling and retention of water resources is intrinsically linked to the health of the ecosystem. Our survival is intrinsically influenced and linked to the environment”.
The current development agenda based on economic models of production and consumption breed greed. The more natural resources extracted, the greater the damage caused to nature. Every use of water resource is also the cause of dwindling quality and quantity of water resource. We cannot isolate management of water resources from the protection and conservation of nature. Water is life and life depends on the natural environment.”
Although greater portions of the land is covered by water however, there are about 1.9 billion people in the world who live in potentially severely water-scarce areas, posssing developmental challenges to them. This figure is projected to increase to 3 billion people by 2050.
In Ghana the demand for potable water is estimated at 1,131,818.18m3 but this is not met by the supplies of Ghana. With the increasing pace of illegal mining in the country and its associated effects on water supply, the Faculty admonishes Ghanaians to protect the environment in order to protect our water supply.
The statement which was signed by the Head of Department for the Department of the Environmental and Natural Resources Management, Mr. Stephen Omari, was issued on Thursday, World Water Day 2018 to sensitise Ghanaians on the need to conserve water in this era of climate change.