Poison In Densu River?

Fear has gripped the neighborhood of Sampa Valley near Weija in Accra, following allegations that some fishermen have poisoned a portion of the Densu River, destroying aquatic life and threatening the lives of the residents.

After the suspected illegal act by the yet-to-be identified fishermen some resident and fish vendors were seen collecting dead fish found along the river's banks. Some worried residents have expressed fear that some of the dead fish had already reached the market and people's homes.

The suspected chemical had caused a darkening of the river, which contrasted with the original light sea-blue nature of the Densu River. Some of the water lily had also started withering. A resident along the bank of the Densu River, Baffuor Kwesi Oteng said because of the alleged poisoning, residents in the Sampa Valley who depended on water from the river for domestic use had stopped fetching it.

Mr. Oteng, whose house is located about 20 metres from the river said for the past six years that he had been living at Sampa Valley, he had never noticed such an unusual pattern in the river. He said some of the fishermen who might have deliberately thrown dynamite or some other form of poison into the river were found in their boats briskly fishing on Friday.

He expressed fear that some of Tilapia and other species of the dead fish which were collected from the river might have been sold to unsuspecting customers at a thriving fish market at the Weija junction called Tilapia Market. To emphasize his point Mr. Oteng showed a sample of the tilapia he picked from the river and said he would store it in a refrigerator to be sent to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for testing.