The Director for Natural Resources at the Environmental Protection Agency, Carl Fiati, has warned that Ghana may soon import drinking water from neighbouring countries if government does not curb illegal mining.
He made the claim in an interview on the Citi Breakfast Show yesterday following reports on the closure of the Abesim Water Treatment Plant in the Brong Ahafo Region.
According to Ghana Water Company, the plant had to be shut down due to the reduction in the water level of the Tano River as a result of illegal mining.
In a related situation, the Kyebi Water Treatment Plant was also shut down in August 2016 when the water was deemed untreatable due to galamsey.
The director said that the problem must be addressed by government, by developing a national will to tackle the situation.
“There is no national will in solving galamsey “It is not a problem EPA alone can solve. The mandate of the EPA is to co-manage the environment so we do it in partnership with all the other sectors. But when it comes to galamsey, it looks like there is no national will to deal with it. We appear to value the gold more than the water we drink and the land on which we farm and our forest. So we have allowed people to go freely and degrade,” he said.
Mr Fiati said the only way out was to arrest, prosecute and jail illegal miners to serve as a deterrent to others.
He added that there were several people who had gone into mining without permits, pointing out that such people were illegal miners.
He said the EPA alone could not deal with these people who are often armed, adding that the EPA was not armed and called on the security agencies, the Ministry of Lands and Forestry, Minerals Commission and all stakeholders to work together.
He called for the need to make people realize that the galamsey menace is illegal and punishable.
“The way to do it is to arrest, prosecute an if possible jail those who do galamsey because the effect of galamsey on the population and the future of this country is far reaching, we cannot compromise with it,” he said.
Source: The New Statesman
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It is not only water ,that will be facing problems in the near future but other things .I will suggest our leaders to put into action right measure correct these.I will suggest health ministry,FDB, etc to investigate why young people are dying rampantly .Kidney problem is on the increase .I suggest the police investigating team to go and derv into corruption in government sectors.The judicially should to help in bringing crime rate down.The monitory and evaluation ministry to extend their work down to every where.
Herrh Ghana paaa nie....nti daben na gyimiii no b'gyai ???
I will protest against exportation of water from Canada to Ghana due to the stu--p1d1ty of our leaders. I told some friends years ago about this menace. Because of greediness of few people and laziness of some who doesn't work hard enough but want to get rich quick, Ghana will suffer. Thank God I am not there to experience it and I don't have sympathy for people who are ***barred word*** and d-u-m-b.
i don't know what the npp government is doing about this galamsey menace. they appaer to be very slow and bureaucratic when it matters most. where is kan dapaah and his national security apparatus; they need to be up and doing. time is not on their side! they need to use force first before looking at the paperworks
WHAT IS WRONG WITH OUR SOCIETY TODAY ; WHAT IS COME OVER Ghanaians; our brains are polluted with mercury and we cannot think again ; ARE THOSE IN CHARGE OR THESE POLITICIANS NOT AWARE THAT YOU CAN STAY WITHOUT POWER OR ELECTRICITY BUT CANNOT STAY WITHOUT WATER BECAUSE WATER IS LIFE !!!!!!!;HAVE THEY TRAVELLED UP NORTH TO PLACES LIKE BURKINA OR NEAR THE DESRTS AND SEEN HOW PEOPLE ARE DESPERATE FOR WATER : NANA ADDDO SHOULD GET OFF HIS ***barred word*** AND SIMPLY STOP THIS RAPING OF THE ENVOROMENT NBECAUSE VERY SOON ALL OUT RIVERS WILL DRY UP : WHAT IS GOING IN SOCIETY BECAUSE WITHOUT WATER WE ARE FINISED: THOSE INVOLVED IN THIS GALAMASEUY BUSINESS TO POLUUTE OUR WATERS MUST BROUGHT TO BOOK ; NANA ADDO MUST DPO SOMTHING NOW !!!!!!!
THIS IS VERY SERIOUS SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE ABOUT IT EVEN IF IT A STRINGENT MEADURE
I agree with the man. Highly influential people and politicians are involved in this galamsey menace. That is why we cannot solve it. Chairman Wontumi and Joe Danquah in Banda District are all politicians engaged in galamsey. We will start importing water very soon. The blackman does not use his brains
Ahh blacks.....The most u$eless specie of the human race is Africans....see what you do to yourselves then later you turn to western world for help...God has really regretted creating you people
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