EPA and partner agencies seek better management of coastal zone

Mr Anthony Evans Amoah, Western Regional Minister, on Monday said the government has adopted an integrated and cross-sectoral approach to the management of the country's coastal zone.

He was opening a five-day training workshop on the United Nation Environmental Programme (UNEP) and the Global Programme of Action (GPA) on management of wastewater in coastal areas organised by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at Takoradi.

The workshop, which is under the theme: "Improving Wastewater Management in Coastal Cities," was attended by 20 participants from the EPA, Ghana Health Service, Ghana Tourist Board, Ghana Water Company, district assemblies and non-governmental Organisations.

Mr Amoah said processes had begun to deal with the issue holistically and that Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies with administrative jurisdiction over the country's coastal areas would be the lead institutions in the implementation.

He said since the early part of the 1990's, interventions had been put in place to arrest the degradation of the coastal zone but they did not make the desired impact.

Mr Amoah said land-based activities had significantly increased the incidence of marine pollution from industrial effluent and poorly managed urban wastes and degradation of natural resources.

He said these activities had sufficiently compromised the capacity of the marine and coastal ecosystem to support sustainable growth.