Three out of every five Ghanaian drinking water are reported to be contaminated by human waste, putting them at risk of contracting cholera, dysentery, typhoid and polio.

This revelation was made by David Duncan, Chief Director of WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene), a Water NGO, at a ceremony to mark World Water Day at the Action Chapel in Accra.

He joined the chorus on the nation to take a bold step in treating waste water and preserving water sources as a means of keeping citizens healthy. 

According to him, there are many treatment processes and operational systems that can allow Ghanaians to meet the growing water demands.

Experts at the Ghana Water Company have warned that the country risks importing water for consumption unless illegal mining activities stop.

As the country joins the rest of the world to mark the WHO World Water Day, the experts say the spate of water pollution in Ghana is approaching alarming levels.

According to the Accra West Regional Director of the Ghana Water Company, Ing Peter Deveer, illegal mining activities (galamsey) have badly polluted water bodies in the country resulting in the excessive cost of treatment.

Mr. Deveer was speaking on the sidelines of a community dialogue programme at Chorkor in Accra to celebrate World Water Day. 

Today, there are over 663 million people worldwide living without safe water supply close to home, spending countless hours queuing or trekking to distant sources and coping with the health implications of using contaminated water.

Citing a report on the spate of water pollution in the country, Ing Deveer told Joy News, "the rate at which things are going we could be importing water in the next ten to 20 years."

Meanwhile, researchers at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) have said Ghana has no problem with water sources, however, potable water sources are diminishing at such a fast rate that the country faces a looming water crisis by the year 2030 if the current conditions continue to persist.

For his part, the Chief Director of the Water Resources Ministry, Donan Teye, who presented the keynote address on behalf of the sector Minister Kofi Adda, enumerated strategic policies government is putting in place to treat waste water. 

He said there would be an effective use of science and technology in identifying ways to recycle water, especially in the urban areas. 

The programme was held at the Action Chapel because they have championed the use of an anaerobic digestive system in which they channel all their generated waste.

They use the treated water to water the flowers on the church premises and they use the solid waste for gas in their churches restaurant. Mr Teye lauded this innovation and encouraged other churches to learn from that. 

In a related development, Members of Parliament have also raised concerns about the absence of clean portable water, particularly in the rural areas across the country and how some of the water sources have been polluted.