Gender gaps in water, sanitation services

BY EDMUND SMITH-ASANTE

Mrs Patience Agyare-Kwabi delivering the Gender Assessment report

An assessment of the delivery of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services in 16 districts in five regions of the country has revealed numerous gender gaps in the delivery of these services.

The assessment was carried out by the Government of Ghana and United Nations Children's Fund (GOG/UNICEF).

Beware! You may be eating more than food

BY EDMUND SMITH-ASANTE

Mrs Theodora Adomako-Adjei, National Coordinator, GHD

While I was driving on one of the streets of Accra recently, a colleague drew my attention to a man who was busily washing his hands in water that had collected on the shoulders of the road as a result of a downpour the previous night.

Naturally we were all intrigued by the sight we beheld and starred earnestly to see what right-thinking person would be doing an act we viewed as very strange.

Newmont Ghana improves rating

BY EDMUND SMITH-ASANTE

Newmont Ghana Gold Limited (NGGL), one of the world’s big mining companies operating in Ghana, has recorded an improvement in performance in the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) 2012 ‘Akoben’ ratings released last week Friday.

From an overall rating of ‘orange’ (satisfactory) gained in 2011, NGGL made a leap to ‘blue’ (good) in the latest trend analysis for the mining sector disclosed by the EPA.

CONIWAS, partners call for deeper collaboration of MMDAs to upscale sanitation

BY EDMUND SMITH-ASANTE

Mr Benjamin Arthur, CONIWAS Executive Secretary delivering the communique

Metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs), play a very vital role in sanitation management in the country.

Their efforts in the collective management of liquid waste especially, but solid waste as well, seems to have slackened over the years.

Water and Sanitation for Africa to facilitate GLAAS process in Ghana, 19 countries

BY EDMUND SMITH-ASANTE

To assist facilitate the UN-Water Global Assessment and Analysis of Sanitation and Drinking Water (GLAAS) implementation and country level consultations in Africa, the World Health Organisation (WHO), is working closely with the Pan African Inter-governmental Agency, Water and Sanitation for Africa (WSA).

WSA will lead the country level process in Ghana and 19 other African countries where they have field staff, while WHO, would support the process through its own country offices in 10 more countries, to make the total 30.

4th Ghana Water Forum to focus on monitoring, evaluation

BY EDMUND SMITH-ASANTE

Mr Frederick Addae (l) chairing one of the committee's meetings

 
The 4^th Ghana Water Forum (GWF), has finally been fixed for November 5 to November 7, 2013 with the theme; “Monitoring and Evaluation: Key to sustaining and Up-scaling WASH Services”.

Originally scheduled to take place in 2012 after the first, second and third editions in 2009, 2010 and 2011 respectively, the organising committee postponed the fourth to this year, citing some challenges it had experienced in putting the fourth edition together.

EPA alerts on danger of PCBs

BY EDMUND SMITH-ASANTE

PCBs are found in old transformers

Lubricating oil found in old transformers are very poisonous but have found their way to the open market, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of Ghana, has warned.

The oil, which serves as a coolant in old power generating transformers largely controlled by the Volta River Authority (VRA), Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) and the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), contains cancer-causing chemicals referred to scientifically as Polychlorinated Biphensyls (PCBs).