By STANSLOUS NGOSA in Nairobi, KENYA –
JOURNALISTS in Africa have been urged to be committed and ensure accountability in the management of water resources for sustainable growth.
Regional commercial manager for Dow Water and Process Solutions in sub-Saharan Africa Jonathan Mangum said journalists should help their respective countries to be responsible towards sustainable management of the commodity.
“We should not take water crisis for granted because it slows economic growth, hence the need to ensure that Government, mining companies and manufacturing industries take responsibility,” Mr Mangum said.
Mr Mangum said there was need to harvest water because much of it went to waste, while more than 358 million people in African lacked access to clean water.
Mr Mangum said this at the interactive session on the sidelines of this year’s CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Awards.
The session dubbed ‘Harnessing chemistry to address regional challenges’ discussed how to innovate chemistry and technology to help in addressing some of the region’s most challenges.
Mr Mangum said agriculture was another sector that contributed to contaminating water, hence the need to change the status quo.
He said the media should help find solutions to the water crisis their respective countries were facing because their economies would continue being affected.
Mr Mangum said there was need to come up with technology and infrastructure that would help address the water crisis in the region, especially dealing with the supply and demand.
He said that demand had outstripped supply, hence the need to find technology and infrastructure that would help address this disparity.