Ghana to mark World Wetland Day

World Wetland Day

Accra, Feb 1, GNA - Ghana will tomorrow mark World Wetland Day under the theme: "Wetland takes Care of Water".

A statement signed by Nana Kofi Adu-Nsiah, Executive Director of the Wild Life Division of the Forestry Commission in commemoration of the day and copied to the Ghana News Agency said on Friday said, the theme for the celebration reinforced the understanding of the critical link between wetlands and water.

It said without wetlands there would be no water and without water there would be no wetlands.

The statement said, wetlands were extremely valuable to society and provided water in quantity and quality, food and fisheries resources, reduced the impact of flooding, removed pollutants from water, recharged ground water, provided habitat for wildlife among others.

It said the value of services generated by wetlands throughout the world had been estimated at 4.9 trillion dollars per year and if they were lost the cost of replacing them would be expensive.

'Degraded wetlands can result in a country having to invest more money in drinking water treatment and the cost is even higher if the lost is quantify in terms of the goods and services wetlands provide to mankind,' it stated.

The statement, therefore, wondered why Ghanaians continued to harbour wrong perception about wetlands as being wasteland obstacles to many forms of development.

'We drain and reclaim our wetlands to facilitate other inappropriate uses, degrade our wetlands by discharging toxic industrial wastes as it is the case with the Chemu Lagoon in Tema, over exploit of wetlands resources through unsustainable harvesting of fisheries and encroach on wetlands even if they are under statutory reservations such as Ramsar site or preserved as buffer zone for water supply impoundment as around the Weija dam in Accra and the Owabi in Kumasi,' it said.

According to the statement, as Ghana celebrates World Wetlands Day, it was important for the public to support the management and caring for wetlands in the country.

It said with proper management and care, the connection between wetlands and water could be sustained and contributed to Ghana's natural wealth, economic growth and development.

GNA