World Water Day Commemorations: Are We Learning Any Lessons?

If statistics and news reports about worsening water situations in Ghanaian rural communities are anything to go by, then citizens must begin to join hands with the government to find lasting solutions to the looming crisis.

Not a year passes by and citizens are informed of how distressing the water situation in the country and for that matter, globally, is becoming. Staggering statistics can sometimes make one believe that there is looming commotion between and/or among communities over water. Could this be the reason why experts often predict that the next world war would be centered on water? 

As Ghana joins the world to commemorate World Fresh Water Day again, the numerous questions that keep popping up are; Are we learning any lessons from our actions towards the natural environment?  How much water are we conserving in our natural water bodies and at home through the rains?

The day is set aside as a means of focusing attention on the importance of fresh water and advocating for the sustainable use and management of fresh water resources and this has been celebrated each year. The celebration was first recommended at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. The UN General Assembly responded by designating 22^nd March 1993 as the first World Fresh Water Day and since then, it has been celebrated each year highlighting on specific aspects of fresh water. 

The theme for this year’s event is: “Water and Energy.” According to World Vision-Ghana, there is increasing demand for water by populations the world over and the situation requires urgent attention from governments and their citizens to overcome any problems that may emanate from lack of water for human use.

Addressing stakeholders at the commemoration of the 2014 World Fresh Water Day held at Talli in the Tolon District in the Northern Region, James Asedem, Operations Base Team Leader of World Vision, said the United Nations predicts that by 2030, the global population will need 35% more food, 40% more water and 50% more energy.

According to him, already 768 million people lack access to improved water sources, 2.5 billion people have no improved sanitation and 1.3 billion people cannot access electricity. 

If the above global statistics seem too huge to comprehend, have you heard about the story of marriages collapsing somewhere in Ghana due to water scarcity? In the March 12, 2014 edition of The Daily Dispatch, a story authored by journalist Edward Adeti with caption: “WOMEN WALK OUT ON MARRIAGES IN BONGO DUE TO WATER SCARCITY” should not be taken lightly, instead, it should be seen as the reality beginning to dawn on us.

To quote part of the story, it said: “Perennial scarcity of water –and the troubles that come with the search for it –in the Bongo District is leaving scores of women in that part of the Upper East Region with no choice but to walk out on their marriages.

Fifteen such divorce cases were recorded in 2013 at Gambrongo, a community near Zorkor in the district due to the water crisis. The women in the community travel in groups through thick forests in search of water. Young and old, they walk three kilometres back and forth everyday to fetch water from a faraway river that separates Bongo from the Kasena-Nankana West District”.

Additionally, statistics from the Forestry Commission suggest that, about 38,000 hectares of tree cover are lost yearly in the Upper West, Upper East and Northern Regions of Ghana. Is it surprising that, the average rainfall figures from 2004 to 2010 have reduced drastically from 1,243.24, to 364.85 millimetres?

Recent studies on the water situation in Northern Ghana showed that the area is endowed with surface water and much less of groundwater resources. The area is relatively dry, with a single rainy season that begins in June or July and ends in October. Available surface water is about 1, 737 billion gallons per annum which is about 19 percent of the total annual national figure of 40 billion m3. However, this amount is not available all year round as most of the rivers draining the region dwindle to hardly any or no flow in the dry season with only pockets of stagnant water remaining because of the high seasonal rainfall variation.

The region for instance, has an estimated population rate of 3 percent according to the 2010 Population and Housing Census. The implication is that population is steadily increasing but the water resources are not available throughout the year. This results in water rationing, creates conflict for water among residents.

The Ghana Water Company Limited has plans to expand water access from the Yapei and Oti Rivers to communities which lack it, but the attitude of citizens of the Northern Region and Ghana as a whole towards payment of water bills leaves much to be desired. It is easy to predict that more money is invested in the water sector by government every year but less is recouped as profit for reinvestment.  

According to Mr. Asedem, since 1985 till date, World Vision and its partners in the Afram Plains as well as Upper West, Upper East and Northern Regions, have reached 1, 458,700 people in 1, 849 communities and 219 institutions with water, hygiene and sanitation services and facilities.

Besides, 2, 783 wet wells have been fitted with hand pumps and provided with aprons and laundry pads; 133 boreholes rehabilitated; 39 alternative water sources provided; 10,102 household latrines built; 34 institutional latrines built; and 5,651 pump maintenance volunteers trained, he added. 

Indeed, the provision of these resources by World Vision and other non-governmental organisations to water stressed communities will all come to naught, if Ghanaians do not stop polluting water bodies because of gold; and stop indiscriminate felling of trees and bushfires, and instead, intensify creation of tree plantations from the family levels to community, district, regional and national levels.  

All stakeholders in water and energy sectors, Mr. Asedem recommends, must work together to reduce the existing gaps for adequate supply of water and energy to communities. Adding, he said government and stakeholders ought to work to promote environmentally sound interventions in manufacturing and industry for effective and significant reduction in environmental degradation which impacts negatively on water and energy supply.

All Ghanaians must begin to practice water conservation by harvesting rain water during the rainy season and use human excreta to farm and produce energy for domestic use. By so doing, money you would have spent on water bills can be used to address other problems whereas the importation of artificial fertiliser would also be reduced since their usage is not effective as compared to human excreta. By doing this we would have learned our lessons better other than that, we should just forget it and get ready to die of thirst.

About A Thousand T–Poly Students Unable To Graduate

About one thousand students from various departments of the Tamale Polytechnic who completed their courses at the end of the 2013 academic year reportedly could not take part in the institutions 8^th Congregation held recently, Savannahnews has uncovered. 

Reasons accounting for this, according to our investigations, are due to affected students’ inability to meet a number of requirements and directives by the Polytechnic and external bodies such as the National Board for Professional and Technical Examinations (NABPTEX) and the West Africa Examination Council (WAEC).

These requirements, according to notices posted on the noticeboard of for instance, the Accountancy Department, include: failure by 103 students to submit copies of their results slips; the results of 38 students yet to be verified by WAEC; and failure by 59 students to better their WASSCE English and Mathematics results prior to gaining admission into the Tamale Polytechnic.

Other reasons assigned to the inability by students to participate in the 8^th Congregation of the Polytechnic are: 84 students yet to have their results deliberated upon whereas about 30 others had their names omitted by NABPTEX.

Majority of the affected students are from the Accountancy Department whiles the rest are from the Marketing, Secretaryship & Management, Engineering, Statistics, Mathematics & Science, Hotel, Catering & Institutional Management, Fashion & Design, and other departments.

Besides, of the total 913 students who were lucky enough to graduate on March 15, 2014 with their Higher National Diploma certificates in various disciplines, many of them were unlucky to take their certificates home due to some challenges.

Further checks by Savannahnews indicated that, certificates for some graduands were not ready for them to take because others had their class exchanged with other people.

Rector of Tamale Polytechnic

When contacted, Head of Public Relations of the Tamale Polytechnic Abdulai Wumbei confirmed that, a good number of students could not take part in the 8^th Graduation ceremony of the school.

Although he admitted authorities are concerned, he said the situation is largely to be blamed on the negligence of some affected students and/or too much workload on regulatory bodies such as NABPTEX and WAEC. “There are instances where students submit forms with pictures for their certificates but when the certificates are brought back, some of the certificates will be bearing different pictures,” he added.

Mr. Wumbei also noted that, some of the students who were denied the opportunity to graduate because they failed in English and Mathematics at WASSCE refused to better their results, which was a condition set for them by authorities to meet before they complete school. “So if such students haven’t better their grades, then they still have to do that otherwise the Polytechnic cannot award them certificates”, he stressed.

He however, indicated that a committee set up to investigate the cause of these problems and make recommendations, had just submitted their report to the Polytechnic Academic Unit and very soon, the problems would be permanently addressed in order to avoid any recurrence in subsequent graduations.

Meanwhile, of the total that graduated, 20 students had first class, 289 had second class upper and 517 had second class low whereas 87 obtained a pass.

The Rector of the Tamale Polytechnic Dr. Abdulai Salifu Asuro, in his report to Council announced that, three programmes including HND Media and Mass Communication; HND Information and Communication Technology; and Association of Business Managers and Administrators (ABMA) had been introduced in the 2013/2014 academic year.

Adding, he said: “In order to continue to complement our local industry with targeted specialized manpower, more technical programmes are being processed to be run, come next academic year, 2014/2015. The HND Fashion and Design, HND Purchasing and Supply and Welding and Fabrication have reached the advanced stages of gaining accreditation. Other relevant Bachelor of Technology programmes are also being processed for accreditation.”

In her address, Minister for Education Professor Naana Jane Opoku Agyeman, appealed to traditional rulers in the Sagnarigu Traditional Area where the Tamale Polytechnic is located, to kindly stay–off the land they willingly gave out for the establishment of the school many years ago.  This was in response to recent protest by students against the Sagnarigu Chief for his attempt to build a palace on the campus of the Polytechnic.

She also state that, plans were far advanced by government to upgrade all Polytechnics in the country into Technical Universities. “…of course, this intervention is not intended for the Technical Universities to run the same programmes as the traditional universities do but rather to create a conducive platform where theory is transformed into practice, resulting in the provision of quality goods and services”, the minister emphasised.

Sada Needs A “Marshall Plan” – Convener, Cs Platform On Sada

Theophilus Dokurugu

The Convener of the Civil Society Platform on the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) Theophilus Ibrahim Dokurugu, is urging the Authority to have a “Marshall Plan” that all stakeholders in the Northern Savannah Ecological Zone can buy into and actively support.

According to him, having such a plan does not suggest in any way, that the current SADA strategy is flawed. “It is brilliant; but could do more with fine tuning and additions in some respects. In doing so, we may, for example, need to ask the critical question – what are the five most critical development challenges of the SADA operational area?”, he observed.

In an exclusive interview with Savannahnews, Mr. Dokurugu said: “When this is answered, we can then prioritize them on regional basis since emphasis may vary from region to region. SADA can then relook its current strategy and see where it fits into the felt needs of the people it serves. Only then can it play its role of facilitating strategic planning, leveraging of needed resources, strategic partnerships and investments and coordination of relevant programmes effectively, in tandem with the local government system”, he explained.

Like a toddling baby, SADA, he said, may have taken a heavy fall in its first attempt at walking and gotten bruised. “Common sense let us know that a parent who would not want to see his or her child fall or get hurt in learning to walk ends up creating an able bodied cripple. What SADA like any child needs in spite of the challenges confronting it, is support, guidance and encouragement,” he adviced.

Mr. Dokurugu observed that, what SADA needs at this point in time and which all stakeholders need to lend a helping hand, is a time for reflection and introspection and charting a course that is guided by appropriate systems and structures that must be allowed to function.

Recent events may seem to suggest SADA has had a false start. For instance, the recent directive by His Excellency President John Mahama instructing the Board of SADA, to act in consultation with the Attorney General to terminate two contracts it entered into with Asongtaba Cottage Industries seem to give credence to this assertion.

However, going forward, like an experienced sprinter cited for a foul, SADA according to Mr. Dokurugu, needs to come off the blocks getting the basics right and powering to the finish line as a winner, warning “Anything short of this means an exit from the competition.” “This is achievable over the next sixteen years or so; so let us all get involve and play our part in ways that make Mother Ghana the ultimate winner”, he added.

He also recommended that, the public is well sensitized and informed about what SADA is as an organization, what its mandate is, its modus operandi and how the public can relate to it. “It should be made crystal clear to all and sundry from now on, that SADA is not a replacement for development programmes that government would normally undertake in its operational area; rather it is an adjunct of strategic investments and programmes that would accelerate the pace of development of the area to bring it to levels akin to the Southern parts of the country.” 

Mr. Dokurugu warned: “We should therefore be careful not to fall into the trap of GETFUND where if one was confronted with a challenge in education, one was simply told “Go to GETFUND”. It is therefore hardly surprising that the Fund is facing challenges to the extent that payment of the stipend of students on GETFUND Scholarship abroad is behind schedule.”

Irregular Supply Of Medications Affecting Mental Health In Northern Region

Irregular supply of medications coupled with inadequate deployment of community psychiatric nurses continue to be a major challenge to mental health in the Northern Region despite the passage of a new mental health law two years ago intended to address the challenge.

The situation, according to health authorities, is much more serious in the Northern Region as well as the Upper West and Upper East Regions in particular –which are Ghana’s most economically disadvantaged.

Northern Ghana does not have a single psychiatric hospital, thus most patients in the area have to travel to any of the three state psychiatric hospitals – Accra, Pantang and Ankaful, located in the country’s extreme South for comprehensive treatment.

Under the new mental health law, there will be an improvement towards the care of poor, vulnerable people with mental illness or epilepsy, protection of their human rights and promotion of their participation in restoration and recovery. 

The law in the next 5 to 10 years will ensure integrated services in general hospitals across the country, all district hospitals to have 2 to 5 beds in general wards, all regional hospitals to have psychiatric wards with 10 to 20 beds and community volunteers in mental health to be a common place.

A 40 to 50 bed psychiatric hospital will also be built in each region, 4 drug rehab centres established nation-wide and the current 3 psychiatric hospitals in the country downsized and refurbished to state-of-the-art facilities.

The law further emphasises a vigorous pursuance of training and recruitment of psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses and other staff to render services across the country, provision of hot-line services, crisis intervention and mobile teams, getting rid of mentally ill persons in the streets and provide services without human rights abuse.

There are currently about 700 psychiatric nurses and 210 community psychiatric nurses in the country when in actual fact Ghana needs 5000 and 3000 personnel respectively for each of the two categories of health professionals. Additionally, Ghana currently has only 14 psychiatrists instead of 150.

Addressing a forum of the Northern Regional Alliance for Mental Health Development organised by Gub-Katimali Society in Tamale, Regional Coordinator, Psychiatric Nursing, John Ibrahim Abdulai, said although a lot of people with epilepsy and other forms of mental illness have been treated, the situation still requires desperate attention because there are more people who need treatment.

For instance, at the end of 2013, about 4,641 mentally ill and epileptic cases were recorded as against 4, 082 cases recorded in 2012. The figures though reducing at a minimal rate constitutes about 60 percent of people with epilepsy according to John.

He said medications are supposed to be supplied by the Ministry of Health four times in a year to the Northern Region. But the region in the whole of 2013, he noted, received only one out of the four consignments promised which obviously was inadequate for over twenty district health hospitals.

The forum, according to the Executive Director Gub-Katimali Society Sheik Yakubu Abdul-Kareem, was organized as part of the implementation of a 3-year project dubbed ““Promoting an Inclusive and Empowered Civil Society to advance Socio-Economic and Political Development in Ghana.” 

Members of the Alliance; the National Commission for Civic Education, Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, Department of Gender, Mental Health Society of Ghana, Federation of International Women of Lawyers and Assembly officials, were brought together to give account of what they have done so far to help address the challenges of mental health, the reason for which the group was formed. 

Sheik Yakubu explained that, the project, sponsored by the European Union and implemented by BasicNeeds-Ghana in collaboration with the Gub-Katimali Society, is being rolled out in Central Gonja, East Mamprusi, Bunkpurugu-Yunyoo, Nanumba South and Tamale Metropolis to advance socio-economic and political development by holding District Assemblies accountable.

The project intends to contribute to ensuring people-centered development that meets the needs and aspirations of the majority of the population, especially the poorest and most vulnerable. The poorest and vulnerable in this case refers to men and women with mental illness or epilepsy and their caregivers, women groups, the youth as well as peasant farmers who are mostly excluded in decision making or development processes at the local level.