Ghana: Blogging for World Water Day · Global Voices
Mac-Jordan

World Water Day is a day observed on March 22 since 1993 when the United Nations General Assembly declared March, 22 as World Day for Water, according to Wikipedia.
As part of this year's observation of the day which was under the theme;
World Day for Water: Communicating Water Quality Challenges and Opportunities
The day was observed with a hash-tag #WWD on twitter.
Jemila Wunpini Abdulai, author of Circumspecte Blog and an active member of the Ghana Blogging Group suggested we make the day a Ghana Blogging Universal Day post. This means, all members shall write posts related to water and water issues on the day [March, 22] and throughout the week. Below is a round-up of the various posts by members on World Water Day.
Emmanuel K. Bensah presented two pictures in his post which he describes as “blue gold” which none of us could do without. He also shared his sentiments on why can't we invest into state-run systems rather than privatization;
I'm concerned on this day about the role of private management companies that purport to resolve our water problems–how effective are they in the long run? Is it not better to invest money into state-run systems to develop capacity?
Suffering at the Mercy of Water was the title of Gameli Adzaho‘s post. He shared his view on how important water is in our daily lives;
We all know how important water is in our daily lives. We use water to cook food, rehydrate our bodies, keep our bodies clean and so on. Water also plays important roles in both natural and man-made systems. Simply, water is life.
In his conclusion he says:
It is quite obvious that although water is essential for our survival on the planet, some natural and man-made factors have combined to make us suffer from this natural resource. This has created the situation whereby, although water is life, it has become sickness, suffering and even death for large swathes of the world's population
Nana Yaw Sarpong, a broadcast journalist, a concerned African and a believer in the third option of this world shared how his employer, Radio Universe on the campus of University of Ghana decided to run several reports on water issues. He also described how water runs only late in the night in Dansoman, a suburb of Accra where part of his family resides in his post entitled, Water Is Life:
If a Member of Parliament in Ghana's current government can get US$50,000 for a car of his/her choice, why can't he/she fix the water problems [burst pipes and so on] in his/her constituency? He asked!
He also stated how he can't comment on the same water issue among the rural folks in Ghana in the paragraph below;
I cannot begin to talk about our rural folks. It would seem as if I'm making a mockery of their plight, the country's plight. But if those in Sunyani, Takoradi, Accra, Tamale and Kumasi cannot get constant water supply, how could my grandmother in Ejisu-Juaben lift up her hand to be spotted? It is sad. They cannot boast of good, clean water from their pipes if those pipes exist at all. Except for their age-old technology of boiling water to make it safe for drinking, I wonder what the situation would be!
Jemila Wunpini Abdulai in her post described Water as Ghana’s “Forgotten Oil”. In her opening paragraph, she stated how “Ghana's Oil-find” is the main topic of discussion in the Ghanaian circles these days. She quoted from both the Bible and Quran to support her post on the importance of Water;
According to the Holy Bible (Genesis 1:6) God created (liquid) water on the second day, only after he created light – which could be interpreted as establishing his presence, since many religions refer to God as “the light”.
and
In Surah 11:7 (Prophet Hood), the Holy Qu'ran states the presence of water before anything else in the universe, with the exception of Allah's throne (presence). In Surah 21:30 (The Prophets) it emphasizes the fact that life wouldn't be possible without water.
She stressed on how women and girls suffer disproportionally when it comes to the water crisis as they are the ones who go hours in search of this essential element. Making the necessary investments in equal access to potable water is an investment in human rights.
Kajsa Hallberg Adu; Co-founder of Ghanablogging.com described in her opening paragraph how there's a lot to say about “Water in Ghana” in her blog-post; “World Water Day in Ghana“:
From abundance of water that makes this country so green, the lack of portable water which makes Ghana’s roads fill up with slow water tankers and trucks carrying “water sachets” – plasticbags with purified(?) water for drinking.
She shared links of other stories of erosion in Ghana. From plots and vacation homes disappearing to the sea at Prampram, to the city [town] of Keta slowly disappearing and economic development being hindered in Ada.
She sees them as;
Stories, but no information. Dramatic changes, but no reaction.
I learned from her post that; the seat of Ghana's current government – at the Christiansborg Castle in Osu, Accra is at a greater risk to Sea Erosion in this news article.
Water, Water, Everywhere, Nor any drop to drink – Samuel Taylor Coleridge; The Rime of the Ancient Mariner; was the title of Abena Serwaa's post on World Water Day. She's the author of Ramblings of a Procrastinator in Accra blog.
A comment by Maya Mame on her post shows that there's places in Ghana that don't experience any issue with water.
Funny, I checked your blog before I started writing as I suspected you might use a similar title, et voila! As if I knew… My parents house in Tema still (fingers crossed) manages without a polytank or even a Kuffour gallon, there's always water (except for three days in December 2007). You can imagine the disbelief I was met with whenever I told people we didn't have a tank!
Kwabena reacted to her comment by stating;
I always wonder why we can't provide water in this country. Water resources are in abundance. I heard the minister of works, housing & water resources and an mce on radio today going on and on about ‘plans’. We need to do a lot to provide water. I think the Ghana Water Company should be reorganized. I don't think it's difficult to build treatment plants and Luckily, I don't have much of a problem with water in Sunyani. Water flows all the time except during the dry season and when they have to do maintenance works. Not sure it's the same in the other suburbs. I sometimes think we're probably on the same line with the residency of the regional minister. In New Achimota, Accra, we had to dig up a well, buy a pump and some poly-tanks. Some sachet water is just nasty. I think people should stick to trusted brands like Voltic. I remember tasting smoke in one of those brands. I didn't know smoke had a taste till then.
In Maya's contribution to the World Water Day blog-posts, she shares the same title with Abena Serwaa but took a different angled in her writing. She describes how we struggle for water in Ghana yet, there are numerous water bodies found and surrounding Ghana;
With an ocean edging the entire southern border o the country, a lake so vast it provides us all with electricity (well, sometimes) and rivers and waterfalls all over our land, it is amazing that we struggle for water each day.
She also shares a couple of photos from Anderson Coopers blog-post on; “Obama's visit – and what it meant to Ghanaians” where photos depict water been used in various forms.
Abena Serwaa commended Maya for her post by sharing her view below;
Lovely piece Maya! I really worry about children having to go hunting for water before going to school. Just doesnt seem right. As for the broken pipes…dont get me started! absolutely unbelievable.
In my own opinion, I believe we need to protect and treat water very well. Access to safe drinking water is naturally critical in a humanitarian emergency.
If you've read this summary post till this far, then it's time to take action: join  The World’s Longest Toilet Queue. Help; let all “Demand Sanitation & Water For All.”
In my concluding remark, I have a question for you; my dear reader:
What are you doing to mark World Water Day?