According to the UNDP, it was important households to make efficient use of water by installing water saving facilities such as dispensers to help manage water.

Mr. Stephen Kansurk, Head of Environment and Climate at the UNDP Ghana office, said responsible behaviour would help save more water, adding that “these actions and behavioural shift when done by all would translate into a better and healthy environment”.

He was sharing thoughts with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on World Water Day in Kumasi.

This year’s celebration was on the theme: “Accelerating Change.”

The adoption of efficient water management practices in the face of climate change will contribute significantly to the call to take actions to sustainably manage water resources.

Mr Kansurk said farmers under the UNDP climate smart agriculture project were already poised to adopt sustainable water management practices in their rice farms.

The Alternate Wetting and Drying technology being introduced to the farmers under the project would help reduce methane emissions and save irrigation cost and water.

Globally, it is estimated that 72 per cent of all water withdrawals are used by agriculture.

Mr Kansurk called on Ghanaians to be the change agents and accelerate water use, management and consumption, cautioning that access to water and sanitation services was a precondition to life and a human right.

Ghana, according to him, was making considerable progress to achieve its national target of equitable access to basic drinking water services by 2025 as reported in the 2022 voluntary national review.

While Ghana was on the path to achieving its national targets, the situation was not same for all regions.

For instance, more than a fifth of the populations in four regions – Northern, Oti, North East and Savannah – lack access to improved water and sanitation services.
The main challenge has to do with the increasing cost of water and sanitation infrastructure.