Committee to implement a holistic strategy to improve water governance  

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Bolgatanga-Ghana, Nov. 08, GNA – The Kpasenkpe Sub Basin Committee has repositioned itself to implement a holistic strategy to improve water governance in the second phase of the Blue Deal Project, in 2023.
The Committee presented the Integrated Water Resources Management IWRM Plan to the White Volta Basin Board at a two-day meeting in Bolgatanga, Upper East Region.
The meeting discussed the roles and updates in IWRM and the committee’s strategy.
Ms Diana Asabia, the Chairperson of the committee who presented their strategies trategies for the IWRM plan for the second phase, outlined problems of the sub-basin which included increasing land degradation, pollution due to poor waste disposal, siltation, poor farming practices, inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene services (WASH), use of chemical fertilizers and hydrological hazards such as floods and drought.
Under the first phase, she indicated that interventions such as revival of Water Users Association for protection of the river banks, zoning of the river banks, rehabilitation of drainage areas, afforestation projects undertaken by Tree Aid within the Vea catchment and capacity development of stakeholders within the basin were carried out.
The objectives of the phase two is to contribute to sufficient supply of quality and ground water, prevent further deterioration, protect the water resource from pollution and contribute to mitigate impact of floods and droughts in the White Volta Basin through integrated Water Resource Management, she said.
Among other strategies of the plan, she said every step of the implementation process would be documented and consolidated within the IWRM field based activities, alternative livelihoods created to support communities and the plans linked to multi- stakeholders fora.
The plan would also provide a common platform for multi stakeholder dialogue at all levels and to that effect strengthen collaboration among stakeholders, while a framework would be developed to disseminate outputs that would properly be linked to the WRC’s outcomes.
Mr Jesse Kazapoe, the Basin Officer of the White Volta Basin Secretariat, said four other sub basins including the Nawuni catchment would be activated and capacity building trainings carried out to help the committees oversee their activities and the establishment of water users associations.
Mr Jaap Bos, the Head of the Department of Water Systems (Blue Deal), in an interview with the Ghana News Agency appreciated works so far carried out under the first phase of the project interventions.
He noted that though the first phase did not accomplish all of its plans, it helped stakeholders to define the problems in the sub basin, and identified their individual organization’s strengths to split up and concretize the action areas.
Mr Bos said putting the actions into practice and willingness of stakeholders to practise same such as the afforestation projects undertaken by Tree Aid was one of the successful area oriented approach under the first phase.
He however hoped that the Basin Board would strive to get funding to solve staffing constraints to improve work of the Basin Secretariat.
Mr Sylvester Darko, Commissioner of the White Volta Board, who chaired the Board meeting, urged stakeholders to come up with solutions to the problems that collectively affect the basin which could be emulated in other basins.
‘We don’t want to face the cancer other basins are encountering considering the level of degradation and pollution in those basins “, he said.
The Kpasenkpe sub-basin is one of the nine sub-basins formed within the White Volta Basin spanning six districts; namely the Nabdam, Talensi, Bongo and Bolgatanga East Districts, and Bolgatanga and Kassena Nankana Municipalities.