Water managers discuss environmental sustainability

Accra, May 18, GNA - Water Resource Managers within the West African sub-region on Tuesday met in Accra to discuss how best to integrate water management and environmental sustainability.

Nii Ayi Bontele, Chairman of Global Water Partnership (GWP), Ghana, said environmental degradation was increasing, and most countries within West Africa shared one or more rivers, hence the need for a common regional action to sustain the environment.

Addressing the opening session of the three-day workshop under the theme: 'The contribution of major water infrastructures to the sustainable development of West African Countries," Nii Bontele, said participants would dialogue on implementing a common policy that ensured that water was managed within a sustainable environment.

The GWP was established in 1996 to support states in the sustainable management of their water resources through the promotion of principles of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM).

West Africa has a common vision on water which states that "By 2025, water resources are managed efficiently, adequately and sustainably so as to make it a reality to all inhabitants of the sub-region, access to healthy potable water allowing for the meeting of basic needs, access to health facilities, food security, poverty alleviation, as well as the protection of human health and biodiversity of land and aquatic ecosystem".

Dr Charles Biney, Executive Director of Volta Basin Authority, said it was important for water resource managers to ensure environmental sustainability since the two were dependent on each other.

"We cannot just focus on sustainable water supply while people are felling trees and the environment is not clean, if there is no sustainable environment the water bodies are likely to dry up," he said.

GNA