‘Adopt Israeli Water Technology’

Israeli Ambassador to Ghana and Liberia, Ami Mehl, has stressed the need for Ghanaian water agencies to adopt Israeli water technology to improve the supply of potable water in the country.

He made this known at the Water and Environmental Control 2017 dinner meeting, which took place at the ambassador's residence Thursday in Accra.

It was organized by the Ghana Israel Business Chamber, the business branch of the Israeli Embassy in Ghana.

The ambassador admitted that the expensive technology was a better solution in the long term than cheaper fallible alternatives, saying “we are too poor to buy cheap.”

Although Ghana is blessed with many water resources, the nation has experienced major water problems, mostly in the urban areas.

The availability of potable water is under constant threat due to aging infrastructure, sanitation and pollution.

The rise in illegal mining or 'galamsey,' has resulted in the contamination of many water bodies in the country.

The Ghana Water Company now uses about four to five times more chemicals treating water for use.

Present at the meeting were the Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture, Elizabeth Afoley Quaye, Minister for Environment, Science and Technology, Prof Kwabena Frimpong Boateng and other leading industry experts from water and sanitation agencies.

Israel is almost half-desert, and yet it is the world's leading exporter of water.

The country overcame a harsh period of drought by implementing water saving regulations through government policy, and the use of innovative solutions such as desalination, reverse osmosis, leak detention, drip irrigation, and sewage reclamation.

In fact, 91 percent of sewage generated in Israel is reclaimed, treated and reused for agricultural irrigation.

Other speakers at the event were the General Secretary of the Ghana Israel Business Chamber, Edem Yevutsey, who said Ghana must immediately fix the problem of sewage being pumped into the sea, as it negatively impacts the country's tourism and aviation industries.

This meeting is a precursor to the Water Technology and Environmental Control Exhibition & Conference, WATEC Israel 2017, which will be held in Tel Aviv, Israel from September 12-17 2017.

Over 15,000 participants, including governors, ministers and water authorities, are expected to be present at the conference to brainstorm on water innovations.

By Samuel Boadi