The Ghana Water Company (GWCL), according to citinewsroom.com, has attributed the erratic water supply in Accra to the pollution of water bodies, largely caused by illegal mining activities. According to Mr Stanley Martey, Director of Communications at GWCL, the pollution has resulted in a significant gap between water demand and supply in the capital city.
The news outlet quoted Mr Mantey as saying, “In Accra, we have a very huge gap between demand and supply. So, the only way to solve that is to share the water equitably for everybody to get some of the water, which means that, depending on where you live you can get water 24/7 for five to six days or even once a week. But if you are saving, you should be able to survive.
“Because of the pollution of our water bodies, it is affecting us seriously. I’ve heard people call from Pokuase, Amasaman and all. For instance, the water in Nsawam is so polluted that we have to extract materials that are not liquid and this affects the pump. So, at the moment all of our pumps in Nsawam have broken down… pollution of our water body is affecting us.”
Though the Greater Accra Region is not a mining enclave, the effect of the illegal mining activities is gradually having a toll on it. Regrettably, majority of those behind these illegal attacks on our water bodies live in Accra.
As we have always been saying, the young men the security agencies have been arresting for indulging in illegal mining are not the real culprits. Their financiers who buy mining equipment for them to destroy the environment are staying in big cities like Accra and Kumasi. But despite the harm they are causing the nation, they always go scot-free because they are not physically present in the rural communities, where these mining activities take place.
Water, as they always say is life, and it is the responsibility of the state to provide this essential commodity to the citizens. Water should not be a luxury that can only be accessed by the affluent in our society, but by all categories of people, including the poor. We are, however, pessimistic that if the illegal mining activities are not curbed, water will become a luxury for the urban dwellers and it is only those with the financial wherewithal that can have access to it.
As a country, we should do everything humanly possible to avert this looming danger. The moment the poor in our society struggle to have access to water, that will be the end of this country. This is the reason why The Chronicle is warning the authorities to wake up from their slumber and tackle the issue of illegal mining head-on.
We must admit that the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, in collaboration with the security agencies have done very well. In fact, but for their interventions, the situation would have been worse than we are seeing today. This, notwithstanding, The Chronicle still thinks there is a room for improvement.
The previous activities where the taskforce were seen arresting these illegal miners have gone down considerable. The development has apparently given wrong signal to the ‘river destroyers’ that they have the freedom to inflict more harm on the nation.
The Ghana Water Company has raised the alarm and it is the duty of the government to respond in a measure that would safeguard the interest of the country. We still insist that water is life and must, therefore, be made accessible to the people at all times.
