WASH Reflection 25 - Household Water Treatment and Storage: The story so far
There are three policy related gaps that must be addressed to advance Household Water Treatment and Storage (HWTS) in Ghana. These are; HWTS is not mentioned in the National Water Policy; drinking water quality standards exist, but there is no household water quality regulation; there is a lack of coordination and documentation of HWTS efforts. This came up at the 26 edition of the National Level Learning Alliance Platform (NLLAP 26) in Accra.
17 May 2012
WASH Reflections 23 - Norm harmonisation can boost CLTS efforts
There is consensus among stakeholders in the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Sector that harmonisation of legal, social and moral norms can help accelerate efforts to change attitudes to make access to and utilisation of WASH facilities more beneficial. Particularly, efforts at discouraging open defecation through the Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) approach can be more successful if social norms are harmonised with legal and moral norms. This is underlined by the fact that behavioural change informs most of the work done in the WASH sector.
05 Feb 2012
WASH Reflections 22 - Looking Beyond Water Service Delivery Statistics Through The Sensemaker Lense
There are lots of different 'stories' from so many Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector sources that are sometimes difficult to understand. Putting together these stories from sources such as water users, water professionals, policy documents, videos, and photographs to make one complete story that can help facilitate quality service delivery can be most daunting and deterrent.
05 Jan 2012
WASH Reflections 21 - Second WASH Sector Performance Report reveals major documentation gaps
The second WASH Sector Performance Report (SPR 2010) has revealed a number of major WASH sector documentation and data gaps that need urgent attention. The gaps include the absence of a sector-wide monitoring indicators to guide progress reporting, inadequate data on sanitation and hygiene, and the lack of a clear definition of the terms 'urban' and 'rural.' These gaps, which were and reported in the first SPR, came up again during the twenty-second edition of the National Level Learning Alliance Platform (22 NLLAP) Session in Accra, where the report was launched
05 Nov 2011
WASH REFLECTIONS 20 - “Without post-construction M&E, sustainable WASH services will be an illusion” – Van Ess
This was one of the strong messages from Mr. R. K.D. Van Ess presented his review of the project cycle, undertaken within the framework of the Triple-S project, at the National Level Learning Alliance Platform meeting on October 27, 2011. This message was further echoed by participants of the 21st edition of the NLLAP meeting.
23 Oct 2011
WASH Reflections 19 - BCC Strategy for the Urban WASH Sub Sector in Ghana
The bane of the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector is poor attitudes, behavior, and practices of the public, especially in the urban sub-sector. As such, the development of the USAID-CHF International sponsored Behaviour Change Communication (BCC) Strategy for the Urban WASH Sub-Sector is a commendable initiative. This was a major point arising from the twentieth edition of the National Level Learning Alliance Platform (NLLAP).
20 Oct 2011
WASH Reflection 18 - Tackling Corruption in the Water sub-Sector in Ghana
Currently, there are no special anti-corruption policies for the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector; existing anticorruption policies are the same as those that apply for other sectors in the country. As such there is a need to strengthen accountability mechanisms and institutions of oversight and the sanctioning of violators to ensure clean infrastructure projects and water delivery.
13 Sep 2011
WASH Reflection 17 - The Right to Water and Sanitation (RTWS) in Ghana
No person should under any circumstances be denied Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) services because he/she cannot pay. WASH Services need to be affordable for all in accordance with the inalienable right of all to Water and Sanitation services. This was one of the issues emphasized by WASH stakeholders at the eighteenth edition of the National Level Learning Alliance Platform (NLLAP 18) in Accra.
14 Jul 2011
WASH Reflection 16 - Stakeholders call for proper decentralization of urban water supplies
Why have investments in the urban water subsector not yielded the desired results all these years? Who is responsible for ensuring delivery of urban water services to the unserved? For now, the answer does not seem to be clear. GWCL, which is the central agency , could collaborate effectively with Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to ensure service delivery to unserved areas. What stops GWCL's regional branches from collaborating with MMDAs? Is there a legal barrier? Can GWCL not perform more effectively in ensuring urban-wide uninterrupted service delivery? These were important questions on the minds of WASH stakeholders at the seventeenth (17th) edition of the National Level Learning Alliance Platform (NLLAP) in Accra.
06 Jun 2011
WASH Reflection 15 - Disbursement of WASH budget: Agencies do not lack absorptive capacity
There is evidence that the ministries in the WASH sector still play second fiddle to other ministries such as Health and Education regarding budgetary allocations. That is, the government of Ghana puts more money in the Ministries of Health and Education than the Ministries of Local Government and Rural Development and Water Resources, Works and Housing
06 May 2011
Accra citizens suffering lack of services due to poor coordination and no overall strategy
Money exists to extend water and sanitation services to Accra’s long suffering citizens, and donors are keen to help. But the lack of a clear strategic plan for rolling out services, and poor coordination between different stakeholders are hampering progress. To move forward, urgent action is needed to create a city-wide coordination platform, and to develop an integrated strategic development plan.
04 Nov 2009
WASH REFLECTION 2 - Accra citizens suffering lack of services due to poor coordination and no overall strategy
Money exists to extend water and sanitation services to Accra’s long suffering citizens, and donors are keen to help. But the lack of a clear strategic plan for rolling out services and poor coordination between different stakeholders are hampering progress. To move forward, urgent action is needed to create a city-wide coordination platform and to develop an integrated strategic development plan.
23 Jul 2009