Prof. Kwabena Biritwum Nyarko, Provost of the College of Engineering at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, is emphasizing the urgent need for grey water management to prevent health and environmental issues.
In his inaugural speech as a professor, he urged the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources to include grey water management in their water and sanitation plans.
Grey water, the dirty wastewater from laundry, bathrooms, and kitchens, poses serious hazards to public health and the environment.
In his speech titled “Universal Access to Water and Sanitation Services: A Myth or Reality?” Prof. Nyarko expressed concern that the issue of grey water has not received adequate attention in Ghana.
His studies on grey water have shown troubling results: 36% of the water consumed is converted to grey water, which contains higher-than-anticipated levels of micropollutants and requires treatment before disposal.
Prof. Nyarko highlighted the inadequacy of onsite sanitation in addressing grey water concerns, especially since less than 5% of Ghana’s population has access to sewerage systems.
He stressed that grey water management must become an essential part of achieving universal access to water and sanitation.
“It will be meaningless to achieve universal access to water and sanitation without addressing grey water issues,” he said.
Prof. Nyarko concluded that at the family level, the least that can be done is to use a soakage pit or soakaway system.
According to the 2020 Population and Housing Census, 27% of people allow their grey water to run into gutters or drains, while 70% dispose of it by dumping it on the ground or in the street.
Additionally, 11% channel their grey water into a soak away or soakage pit, and 2% let it run off into the sewer system.
