Accra, Nov. 23, GNA - Alhaji Mustapha Ali Idris, Minister for Works and Housing, on Tuesday advised local institutions helping to address some of the multi-faceted challenges confronting the Water Sector to establish the necessary linkages that would check the duplication of efforts.

In a speech read for him at a day's workshop on: Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in Accra, Alhaji Idris said: "More importantly, in our common desire to finding solutions to the challenges, you must establish the knowledge base and proper dissemination of results."

He said he was of the hope that the outcome of the deliberations would add to the suggestions and recommendations to enable the Government to manage the water resources efficiently and in a sustainable way.

The Ghana Water Partnership, (CWP-Ghana) a local nongovernmental organisation (NGO) organised the workshop under the theme: "Water Management - The Cornerstone of the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy" with financial support from The Royal Danish Embassy, Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) and Water Resources Commission.

The workshop was to create the platform for key stakeholders and partners in the fields of water, environment and natural resources management to deliberate on issues affecting the water industry. It was also to raise awareness and provide opportunity for establishing partnerships and strategic alliances for the purposes of mobilizing political will, developing and implementing action plans and promoting effective water governance and good IWRM practices at all levels.

Mr Albert Benjamin Rockson, Executive Secretary of CWP-Ghana, said unless water, land and related resources were managed holistically and more effectively human health and welfare, food security, industrial development and ecosystems on which they depended would continue to be at risk.

He said the crucial role of water in contributing to poverty reduction could not be over emphasised because water was the basis of life and vital for the socio-economic development in the fields of agriculture, health, energy, industry and transportation.

Nii Boi Ayibotele, Chairman of CWP-Ghana, stressed the need for every sector to be involved in IWRM to move the country forward.

Professor Clement Dorm-Adzobu, Chairman of WRC, urged the CWP-Ghana to broaden the base of its partnership to give a wider coverage.

CWP-Ghana is affiliated to the Global Water Partnerships (GWP) established in 1996 by the World Bank, UNDP and Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) in response to the need for a more comprehensive and co-ordinated approach to water management following the Dublin and Rio Conferences.