Investment in water supply will guarantee sustainability – Research
Accra could become considerable more resilient to climate change even when faced with projected population increase if water resources were properly managed.
A research conducted under a project dubbed: Urban Rural Adaptation (URAdapt) revealed that if managed effectively there was more than enough water in the Lower Volta to cater for all of Greater Accra Metropolitan Area’s current and future drinking water needs.
Urban water demand is expected to increase in the future as a result of growing populations, rising temperatures and more frequent and extreme heat events.
Changes in temperature and precipitation patterns are predicted to impact availability of water treatment and distribution in terms of quantity and quality
At a press briefing organized by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Ms Liqa Raschid URAdapt Project Leader, said improvement of storm drainage network in built areas of the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area and revisiting design criteria for future infrastructure could considerably help avoid floods occurring in high risks areas.
“Floods such as these have already been observed even in low risk areas recently and are expected to increase in number and frequency according to climate change predictions,” she explained.
The research was conducted as part of efforts to mitigate the effect of climate change on the growing population in the Greater Accra Region.
It was in collaboration between the IWMI, Addis Ababa University and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Ghana and funded by the International Development Research Centre of Canada and the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development.
Ms Raschid said significant expansion of investment into existing plans to supply water for the Greater Accra Metropolis would help ensure that the water demands of a projected 3.1 percent population growth per annum were met.
She stressed that without the needed investment the water supply was unlikely to be sufficient to meet the demands.
Ms Raschid said climate leadership to ensure effective water resource management in the urban-rural interface, would be key to achieving climate resilience of African cities.
Mr Edward Nsenkyire, Chairman of the National Climate Change Committee, reiterated the urgency of the programme to ensure sustainable water supply in the Accra Metroplis and noted that the project would be presented to government in January 2013 to ensure its inclusion in the budget.
“This project should not be left on the shelves,” he said.
Source: GNA