Dr Clifford Braimah, former Managing Director of Ghana Water Limited, has issued a stark warning – Ghana risks a severe potable water shortage if urgent action is not taken to arrest the pollution of its water bodies.
Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show, Dr. Braimah cautioned that rising heavy metal concentrations in water sources pose a grave long-term threat to national water security.
Critically, Dr. Braimah made a point that deserves wider attention — illegal mining or galamsey, while a major culprit, is not the sole driver of contamination.
Mechanics, Electricians and other tradespeople routinely dispose of hazardous materials in the open;when it rains, heavy metals leach into catchment areas and ultimately into the water supply.
“One critical thing”, he stressed, “is to clear our catchment areas” and The Chronicle concurs entirely. Ghana’s water bodies are steadily becoming toxic and the trajectory is worsening.
In the 1970s and 80s, Ghana’s rivers, streams and dugouts served communities as reliable sources of drinking water. Farmers drew directly from these sources but that era is effectively over.
The Birim, Pra, Black Volta and other prominent rivers are under sustained environmental assault and poisoned by cyanide, mercury and other chemicals introduced through illegal mining operations.
Though the government maintains it is prosecuting the fight against galamsey, evidence, however, suggests otherwise. Water bodies continue to be contaminated and accountability remains elusive.
When President Mahama visited the Brong-Ahafo Region and acknowledged that galamsey was being perpetrated by “our people,” Ghanaians should have asked about the identities of these people and whether they operate with political cover. Unfortunately, the media (Chronicle inclusive) failed to do its job and the president seems to have gone away with it.
The government’s recent resolution at the United Nations, declaring the trans-Atlantic slave trade the greatest crime against humanity, is a legitimate contribution to global historical discourse.
Yet its timing invites scrutiny. Children being born in Ghana today are entering a world where toxic chemicals have already infiltrated the soil, water and food chain. Birth defects linked to chemical exposure are not hypothetical, they are a present and documented concern.
To champion historical justice abroad while failing to protect citizens from an ongoing environmental crime at home is a contradiction that must be named.
The Chronicle does not dismiss the significance of acknowledging historical atrocities. But governance is ultimately about priorities and the priorities here are misaligned.
The water crisis is not abstract, it is happening now, it is accelerating and its consequences will compound across generations.Ghana Water Resources Commission has for years documented the deterioration of our river systems.
The science is not in dispute -what is lacking is political will commensurate with the scale of the threat. Galamsey must be confronted holistically through law enforcement, environmental remediation, community engagement, and genuine accountability for those who profit from destruction, regardless of their political connections.
The same urgency the state applies to international resolutions must be directed inward, toward the rivers that sustain Ghanaian life.
Irresponsible disposal of waste by mechanics and other enterprises must be properly addressed. Indeed, these organisations should be regulated to streamline the methods by which they dispose of their waste.
Dr. Braimah is right: we are running out of time. Ghana cannot afford to treat its water crisis as background noise while performing environmental concern on the world stage. The rivers are dying and the response must match the moment.
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