Mole XXXIV WASH Conference opens in Jirapa with the theme Building Inclusive and Resilient WASH Systems to Reach the Unserved.
By RCN Ghana · 31 October 2023
The 34th annual MOLE Conference on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) opened in Jirapa in the Upper West Region on Monday. Dubbed MOLE XXXIV, the conference attracted more than 150 participants from the WASH sector including government officials, officials of local and international Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in WASH, development partners, traditional leaders, and the diplomatic community.
Hon. Freda Akosua Prempeh (Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources)
Opening the conference, Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, urged Ghanaians to join hands to fight the canker of illegal mining, which has exacted a heavy toll on the country’s water bodies.
Hon. Prempeh lamented the high and unsustainable cost of water treatment by Ghana Water Limited, due to water pollution through illegal mining. She added that the persistent water pollution through illegal mining was a threat to sustainable access to water in Ghana and threatened a sustainable achievement of the water delivery component of the Sustainable Development Goal-6.
“The greatest enemy for the safe water delivery in Ghana is the galamsey menace. As WASH stakeholders, we need to make our voices heard on the on-going discussions aiming at stopping galamsey,” the minister said.
Coupled with that, she said the negative impacts of Climate Change such as floods, droughts and rising sea levels have also had negative impacts on the provision of WASH Services within the country.
The minister urged, “The time has come for us to be innovative to ensure the provision of resilient and sustainable WASH Infrastructure. The provision of such infrastructure is essential not only for public health but also for sustainable development, environmental protection, and community resilience.”
She urged the development partners to expand their support to include the Water Resources Commission, the custodian of all water bodies in the country, to deepen their water protection activities and safeguard sustainable acces…
Hon. Freda Akosua Prempeh (Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources)
Opening the conference, Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, urged Ghanaians to join hands to fight the canker of illegal mining, which has exacted a heavy toll on the country’s water bodies.
Hon. Prempeh lamented the high and unsustainable cost of water treatment by Ghana Water Limited, due to water pollution through illegal mining. She added that the persistent water pollution through illegal mining was a threat to sustainable access to water in Ghana and threatened a sustainable achievement of the water delivery component of the Sustainable Development Goal-6.
“The greatest enemy for the safe water delivery in Ghana is the galamsey menace. As WASH stakeholders, we need to make our voices heard on the on-going discussions aiming at stopping galamsey,” the minister said.
Coupled with that, she said the negative impacts of Climate Change such as floods, droughts and rising sea levels have also had negative impacts on the provision of WASH Services within the country.
The minister urged, “The time has come for us to be innovative to ensure the provision of resilient and sustainable WASH Infrastructure. The provision of such infrastructure is essential not only for public health but also for sustainable development, environmental protection, and community resilience.”
She urged the development partners to expand their support to include the Water Resources Commission, the custodian of all water bodies in the country, to deepen their water protection activities and safeguard sustainable acces…
