Rivers Must Be Restored To Their Natural Origin Before The Rains

The founder of Poverty Alleviation, Water Purification, Education and Development (PAWPED), an NGO, has called on development authorities to help restore the country's river bodies.

Prince Frimpong says rivers, especially the Birim which have been diverted due to activities of illegal mining must be restored to its original path before the rainy season sets in.

He noted that some rivers were diverted by illegal miners, in order to undertake mining activities on the riverbeds.

“Such acts have resulted in heaps of earth being dumped in the original river path to enable the diversion in some cases.

“With the pending rainy season, villages along these rivers risk being flooded when the rivers force their way through the blocked paths,” he said.

The Birim River and some of its tributaries in the Eastern Region are regenerating their natural ecology months after the destructive illegal mining on them was stopped.

The rivers had hitherto become muddy and brownish in colour, highly polluted with mercury and other chemicals making it harmful for use by humans.

But following a directive for the cessation of all illegal mining activities in the country as part of the national campaign against galamsey, the rivers have become clearer and less muddy.

The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) says the surest way to save Ghana from a water crisis is to sustain the fight against illegal mining, also known as galamsey.

Communications Manager of the Company, Stanley Martey said although some water bodies have seen a slight improvement, the company's treatment plants are still unable to extract water from them for treatment and consumption due to the high levels of pollution.

He told Joy FM early this year that “if we do not stop galamsey which is destroying the water bodies, then we face an imminent water crisis."