Faisal Elias

14 Aug Faisal Elias

Faisal Elias

Country of citizenship: Ghana
Undergraduate Qualification: Bachelor of Arts in Geography and Rural Development
Completed scholarship: 2014

“Ghana is a developing country with plentiful natural water resources and in African terms, relatively well-off. Yet a large part of the population still don’t have access to clean portable drinkable water and some of the poorest Ghanaians use a quarter of their income on water buying from private suppliers.  I observed that the challenge stems from human attitudinal indifference to the conservation of the resource and weak institutional regulations enforcement. Water they say is life and if people don’t have access to safe water, their fundamental right of life would have been trampled upon.

The greatest challenge requiring urgent attention is the unbridled human activities such as mining and farming which pollute the sources of freshwater especially in developing countries such as Ghana. In addition, the effects of Climate Change on water resources needs to be considered using appropriate mitigation and adaptation measures.  Another key challenge is the lack of technical and technological expertise in developing countries as Ghana to manage the water crisis.

As a prospective researcher and leader in water management, this MPhil IWM programme, will equip me with the necessary tools to proceed further in my aspirations and also built a career as a researcher/leader in the field of integrated water resources management. This will also equip me with contemporary ways of solving water problem upon my return to my home country, Ghana to help in finding solutions to the perennial water problems