The Catholic Relief Services (CRS) in partnership with the Kumbungu District Assembly has planted about four thousand (4,000) trees at Dalun, a suburb of the district and Kuduozayele in the Savelugu municipality of the Northern Region as part of efforts to protect White Volta Basin.
The tree planting exercise which happened on Thursday, June 8, also formed part of activities to commemorate this year’s World Environmental Day Celebration.
Richard Agbo Kwabena Ntibrey, the Project Manager for Urban WASH and Resilience Project at Catholic Relief Services, explained to the media that many of the sub-basins that feed the Water Supply System are severely degraded and water supply is compromised by indiscriminate sand and gold mining activities and land degradation.
“These are causing sedimentation of the river, with noticeable physical changes in riverbed structure. Not only is the river becoming shallower and wider at main water abstraction points, but the quality of water has deteriorated markedly, with turbidity being a major issue in the treatment of water for reticulation” he pointed out.
He observed with the rapid population growth, most Ghanaian cities are struggling to meet rising water demands in the context of human pressures and climate change.
According to him, managing land uses, particularly in upstream catchments, can improve water quantity and quality for domestic use and for environmental flows.
Mr. Ntibrey added healthy catchments better regulate the timing, quantity and quality of stream flows, saving on grey infrastructure costs including treatment costs, pumping, dredging and storage costs.
He emphasized to achieve healthy catchments, there is the need for investment in source water protection through a sustainable Watershed Investment Program (WIP) within river basins in Ghana.
To ensure a sustainable stream of investment for source water protection and improved catchment management, Mr. Ntibrey disclosed that the Water Resources Commission and key stakeholders such as CONIWAS, Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) and the Northern Regional Coordinating Council with support from CRS are working to establish a Water Fund to ensure sustainable stream of funding and financing for Watershed Investment Programs in river basins for source water protection and watershed management.
“This is in line with policy action in the National Water Policy that seeks to promote the protection and conservation of water resources using cleaner and efficient technologies, effective waste management and sound land management and agricultural practices” he stated.
THE CUSTODIAN has learnt some successes have been chalked within the Nawuni sub-catchment as a result of the Tamale Water Fund intervention.
Mr. Ntibrey reiterated the commitment of the Catholic Relief Services to improving management of the Nawuni Sub-Catchment to safeguard the livelihood of the inhabitants in the Kumbungu and its adjoining communities.
Meanwhile, the Regent of Dalun, Naa Adam Mahama in his remarks at a durbar commended the CRS for its continuous support in the traditional area and implored the subjects to serve as watchdogs to protect the trees planted.
He observed the recent weather conditions are as a result of the impact of climate change and urged the people protect the trees planted and also abstain from felling of trees.
