News:
May 20, 2011
The Deputy Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Aquinas Quansah has urged Ghanaians to cultivate the practice of harvesting rain water as the rains set in.
According to him, persons living in areas which lack water supply such as Adentan, Teshie Nungua among others must take advantage of the rains that has begun to set in to store enough water and not allow rain water to go to waste.
Rainwater harvesting is a three step process involving the collection of rainwater from surfaces such as roofs; the storage of rainwater and the distribution of rainwater for indoor or outdoor use.
Rainwater is an economical, safe and sustainable source of quality water when it is captured and stored in a correct manner.
Contributing to a panel discussion on e.tv’s Breakfast TV show, Hon. Aquinas Quansah who is also the Member of Parliament for Mfantseman East stated that as government takes adequate measures to improve the water supply situation in the country, the public must also help themselves by harvesting rain water which comes at no cost.
“Rainwater which is also clean water can be used for several house chores such as watering the lawns, wash your car and cooking utensils, our forefathers have practiced this and we must sustain it” he said.
He said compared with water supplied through mains, rainwater can be considered to be safer since water supplied from mains is typically stored in dams and treated with chemicals to eliminate bacteria, adding that the water which then will be pumped through a network of pipes may also contain contaminants such as rust.
Hon. Aquinas Quansah noted that there are a number of advantages in harvesting rainwater including, the significant reduction on the reliance on water storage dams and systems and also considerably decrease the size of one’s water bills.
Story by : Kwadwo Anim/ghanamps.gov.gh