Ghana Must Protect Her Water Bodies

The Water Resources Commission (WRC), last Friday, dropped hint that about 60 per cent of Ghana's water bodies are polluted, with many in critical condition.

According to the Commission, majority of the polluted water bodies could be found in the south-western parts of the country, where illegal mining activities, known in the local parlance as galamsey, were widespread.

Mr. Ben Ampomah, Executive Secretary of the Commission, according to our source, dropped the hint at a workshop in Ho on “Dam safety regulation and Buffer Zone policy”, which attracted coordinating directors from the various district assemblies, and other stakeholders in the region.

Mr. Ampomah is said to have pointed out that it is not only illegal mining which is the major cause of water pollution in the country. He mentioned industrial waste, household disposals and farming as other causes of water pollution.

The Chronicle considers the information as very alarming and poignant, judging from the fact that we, the citizens of this great nation of ours, are the very causes of water pollution, which has brought untold hardships on us.

This is the reason why The Chronicle is calling on every Tom, Dick and Harry in the country, especially our chiefs, traditional leaders and heads of the various Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs), to rise up to help protect our water bodies.

A few weeks or months ago, Mr. John Peter Amewu, Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, with the support of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, declared war on illegal mining and vowed to ensure that it stops sooner than later.

Like a spontaneous effect, the media, churches, civil society groups, individuals and organisations threw their weight behind the campaign, with the sole aim of supporting the it to succeed.

The explanation was simple, because all these groups and individuals felt that the only way to end water pollution is to end galamsey, but the revelation by the Water Resources Commission has jolted us to rethink again.

While commending Mr. Peter Amewu and his charges for the campaign against illegal mining, The Chronicle is calling for a concerted effort to sustain the campaign to improve the quality of water bodies in the country.

Since it has emerged that industrial waste, household disposals and farming are other major causes of water pollution, we must, at the same time, turn our attention to addressing these new causes, else, even if we succeeded in ending galamsey, water pollution will still be with us.

It was not for nothing that our forefathers forbade our fathers and mothers to farm, or cut down trees along water bodies, as they have the potential to cause havoc or damage to these valuable resources.

The Chronicle is calling on our chiefs, traditional rulers, heads of the various MMDAs, civil society organisations (CSOs) and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to draw up programmes to educate the citizenry on their role to protect our water bodies.

The paper is urging the various MMDAs to do whatever it takes to protect all buffer zones within their areas of jurisdiction, and desist from rezoning same for the construction of fuel stations.

The paper could not also agree more with a statement by Mr. Ampomah that states: “We must know that there is no waste land. Wetlands and buffer zones are well-designated areas. They protect river banks, prevent floods, and help improve the quality of rivers and streams. Our assemblies must, therefore, incorporate buffer zones into local land use plans.”

We also suggest that the various MMDAs move a step further to demolish structures located on waterways and buffer zones to prevent perennial floods with their related health challenges.

We are hopeful that the Buffer Zone Legislative Instrument and the Legislative Instrument on Dam Safety would help protect water bodies, and regulate the activities of dam owners and operators.