Cape Coast, March 23, GNA - Improving access to safe water for every Ghanaian would not only help in poverty reduction but could also accelerate the attainment of the Millennium targets for health, the Centre for Environmental Impact Analysis (CEIA), an environmental NGO, has stated. It said a considerable percentage of Ghanaians, particularly children, die each year from diseases associated with unsafe water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene and stressed the need for all stakeholders including the government and developing partners to combine forces to ensure accessible and safe water for all by 2015.

These were contained in a statement issued by the CEIA in Cape Coast on Tuesday and signed by its Executive Director, Mr Samuel Obiri, to mark world water day which fell on March 22. The statement quoted Mr. Kofi Annan, the former UN Secretary General, as saying "providing clean drinking water is also fundamental for achieving the other Millennium Development Goals, such as alleviating poverty, hunger and malnutrition; reducing child mortality, increasing gender equality, providing more opportunity for education and ensuring environmental sustainability".

It said the fourth assessment report of the recent Inter governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) indicated that over 460 million people mainly in West Africa including Ghana were at risk to face water scarcity. It said it was unacceptable for mining firms and other industries to continue to pollute water sources since access to clean drinking water still remains a challenge to government and its developing partners and when Ghana has been named among the 12 countries that risks water scarcity.

The CEIA drew the attention of such firms and industries to stop the indiscriminate disposal of waste and other pollutants into water bodies and mentioned in particular the plight of residents of Bongo in the Upper East Region whose bore holes are found to contain high fluoride ions. It also expressed concern that farming activities along the banks of major rivers and streams have resulted in the release of pesticide and insecticide residues as well as silting of those water bodies.