Water -H2O, Water- H20, Water -H20 …all over

Despite Parliament and general concerns, there is countrywide cry for water. There was a celebrated Member of Parliament at the House along the then High street, now Prof. John Evans Atta Mills High Street. This member wanted to make a submission on the behalf of his constituency. Much as he tried, the Speaker was unmoved. The continued failure had passed the point of frustration. Those were the years the country marked their Representatives’ performances, part of the responsibility to par­ticipate questioning them from the inalienable grassroots participation in the whole processes of demo­cratic governance.

That silent member could be withdrawn next time. It was post-budget debate. Other members stepped in appeals but the Speaker won’t be moved; until finally he had to succumb to the overpowering Legislature. He called: “Hon. X” He breathed “Thank you Mr Speaker; Y [the constituency] [the constituency] wants WATER.” He sat down. I shall keep the rest of the story. It hardly takes any search to realise that clean water is the scarcest among the legacy of the December 7, 2024 elections. Any moving vehicle prefers carrying empty gallons looking for water and wells. They are hired and it seems less hassling for the operators. Our elders defined water as “LIFE” .We regard this as a sacred legacy, culturally because water is a sine qua non in all of our physical and spiritual activities.

These refer to religious and tra­ditional observances. I know this piece will not be read by the people who have caused the destruction denying themselves and country per se. But three groups share the burden. They are government, the Chiefs and the official (duty-secu­rity) and privately- hired persons to deter the pollution, allegedly. Whether the evidence is there or not it has always looked like authority had abnegated. This has happened affecting more populous needs, complaints which have dual ultimate reasons: health disasters and immediate personal domestic chores. We need urgent national repairs and restorations of the water bodies with Prof. Frim­pong-Boateng’s Galamsey-Report for a crib among other credible leads to take actions for cash to pay up for the rehabilitations.

The last time I wrote about the development by the next govern­ment, current, I made a peripheral reference to examine our power situation. It was meant to lat­er suggest looking at our water bodies and whether we could re-visit the hydro-power project to augment generation. It was a Policy discussed during the tenure of President Dr Hilla Limann [3rd Republic]. Indeed Vice-President J.W.S. de Graft Johnson was sent to India (1980) to study and assess help. He informed a news con­ference about the viability of the intention to explore further, stating government would not tolerate ex­ternal interferences prosecuting the outcome. By then the US relations with India was not fine. Expect to imagine the pressure which led to abandoning eventually.

I probably have to state explana­torily that demonstrated a pillar in US Foreign Policy—NO PERMA­NENT FRIENDS. I also would think that the new government would be reshaping the country’s, not similarly but take greater notice of that—not necessarily tie our apron strings to any. With benefit of hindsight the Republic then appeared to be pro-US-dominat­ed. Indeed, the US funded the first schooling of fresh and old MPs post-1992. It was a routine that could have helpful this time round. [Parliament was slated to have either the sort or functioning programme for it which received wide publicity, either pre-the 7th or 8th Parliament.] However, I should add that the Country’s (Third Republic’s) turn to India was plain man’s desperate window shopping to get cheaper sources of generating regular supply of electro-power. Firstly, the US case interpretively was not being privy and that might have moved the State Department to view it unfriendly or even treacherous.

The simple reason was we were budget- dependent. But the Ghanaian government thought it was an assertion of sovereignty. As a matter of fact, Vice-President de Graft Johnson was uncompromis­ing in his comments at the return news conference. We did bruise things further, pursuant, boycot­ting the US Los Angeles Olympics instead of Moscow 1984—contiu­ing the Cold War. Next, the US hit the country and government with high voltage pressure and prom­ises of goodies for Ghana. But Ghana displeased the US through a Diplomatic hiccup—President Dr Limann resisted either separating dates for US and Cuban Ambassa­dors to present their credentials at the Castle same day, as scheduled; or, the US first. In fairness, the Cuban had arrived here first. That controversy dates back to tenure US president Reagan, despite an apparent rapprochement following meeting at the White House with then Ghanaian leader Flt.Lt Jerry Rawlings. From mere history for background informatively only and back to water.

(In any case, Bui Dam was meant specifically to aid-create the Savannah Region as a granary). That would bolster-hold agricul­ture—food production as the third of the urgent needs—education, health and agriculture which a fresh government, following the elections (Dec. 7, 2024) would have to address as a foremost. In retrospect within eight to ten years in this country authority and people took the progression of illegal mining as passing by; then the pollution had a license. Our attitude shrugged shoulders. The “haves” allegedly with in situ polit­ical Biggies reportedly whispered as complicit apparently cashed in as long as it seemed they had chiefs and politics’-backing. Each pro­duced authenticated papers. And each denied doing wrong.

Free for all took charge and has visibly dumped galamsey into crises of dangerous small-scale war Lords, health hazards and financial resources in a country that is broke. It is going to take a coa­lition of governmental and private institutions to imperatively clear up the legacy of the mess. I have read several proposals latterly; but a blanket national solution is remiss due to topography of locations with one exception—public drainages in neighbourhoods. You wonder a re-installations of the districts, metropolitan assemblies’ health In­spectorates without being corrupt­ed. Even that, regulations may not succeed to insulate it. Our cultivated golden preference seems to be “get rich quickest”. A short while ago, Parliament’s vetting committee forced a show down for proof on an alleged bribery. (Something similar had seized a predecessor committee).

The country is, in the present most thirsty for clean water rather than the creeping scarcity from failing to stop galamsey ab initio many years ago when households begun to dump garbage in gutters flowed into the seas and rivers. There is no need to cite-single out for proof. The authorities looked and licensed constructions of homes and kiosk-shops on the drainages. These became politi­cised and permits were granted according to which party reigned. These multiplied the pile and flooding and political leaders were rushed to the seriously affected places to promise state support for restorations—“Abban beboa”-the state will help’.

This has been applauded as a sign of caring government. It is very colonial. No one cared about the next tragedy and indeed the advantages that were taken to ex­pand; the clogging and reportedly the non-questioning was based on the weight of party-influence that existed. Then, galamsey arrived. Its havoc has vastly polluted water bodies, displaced residential areas or neighbourhoods and arable lands. These have deteriorated in less than a decade to become po­litically intractable –who to blame and which and how to resolve first.

I believe the stanching of the haemorrhage of yet indetermi­nate variety of infections is an unopposed option. It is easiest to pinpoint to alleged culprits without thinking about the law. Strict de­terring orders can work ad hockery, lest it becomes “who watches the watchmen”–uncorrupted. For the moment, the Water Company is in trouble on two counts: not pro­viding cut off schedules and their billings to consumers. I stood at a payments office recently and heard a messing of a Manager. It turns out [i] that the Bills are becoming higher monthly, or stagnant. [ii] Irate numbers of household point that the water supply is bother­some and drop drips are irregular for greater part of any month. The find out: official meter readers are accused for merely ditto-fills for the offices to write – demand payments, challenged daily or routinely.

Question: Is the Company short of trained meter-readers? It does seem too cheeky to refer to computerisation. I won’t refer to the illiterate left-alone male or female at home; but I invite a visit to the nearby ECG offices after the changes of electricity light meters—burdening those who work in there. The stark absentee is the human face and in spite of empirical evidence of there being largely unread lonely Oldies to cope and that is the huge spanner in all the rush for full digitalised policy yet.—the rumour or suspi­cion that someone had gotten rich and gotten away, notwithstanding, our collective national fault being complacent previous decades since independence 1957.

By Prof Nana Essilfie-Condu­ah