Time to name and shame polluters of water bodies
An overview of the country’s water bodies shows that most of them are without aquatic life. Many of the country’s water bodies which are the only sources of drinking water for many people have been polluted by human activities.
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Illegal mining (galamsey) and the emission of poisonous chemicals such as cyanide and mercury into our water bodies threaten our vegetation and water bodies.
Indeed, the destruction of the Birim, Densu, Pra and Tano rivers, among other water bodies, continues to be a major source of concern to all.
It is depressing to observe that most of the country’s rivers have moved from the classification ‘fairly good’ to ‘very poor water quality’, as many have become heavily polluted due to illegal human activities.
These illegal operations are threatening the existence of the people, who in the near future will not have any source of good drinking water.
There are also health implications and people who depend on water from the polluted rivers and streams stand the risk of contracting water-borne diseases such as diarrhoea and bilharzia.
It is no wonder, therefore, that the Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, while addressing the 87th anniversary of St Augustine’s College in Cape Coast last Saturday, touched on the menace of galamsey.
He did not mince words in expressing concern over the activities of illegal miners which he said were destroying the environment and water bodies in the communities.
According to him, the government would soon announce a policy to stamp out the threats, adding, “We will take a firm decision to stop this menace.”
The current state of our water bodies is nothing to write home about and, as a nation, we need collaborative efforts to end the activities of galamsey operators before they get out of hand.
The Daily Graphic is of the strong opinion that the alarming situation, if not checked now, will make access to water extremely difficult and costly to the nation in the near future.
Is it not time to name and shame people who are engaged in this nefarious activity of destroying our water bodies? Must the nation continue to look on helplessly while selfish individuals and some foreigners deliberately choose to flout the regulations and the rules of engagement?
In our view, people who simply offend the laws must be held responsible and made to face the full rigours of the laws.
The Daily Graphic thinks the time is ripe for the nation to move away from continuously expressing worry at illegal mining without taking concrete steps to check the menace which is destroying our very existence on earth.
Simply put, it is time to hold people to account for their deliberate efforts to destroy our water bodies and thereby undermine national progress.
