Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. John Peter Amewu has indicated a likelihood of Ghana importing water from other countries if measures are not put in place to curb negative practices having effect on the country’s water bodies.
According to the Minister, Ghanaians are gradually digging their own graves with degradation and destruction of the countries lands, indicating that the country would have been in a much worse state if earlier generations engaged in such illegal practices.
Speaking at the launch of 'Water for Rural Africa' (WRA), a Non-Governmental Organisation geared towards championing the United Nations SDGs, the Minister noted that the current trend of finding a place of abode is continuously denying thousands of Ghanaians access to portable water on daily basis.
He also emphasized that although President Akufo-Addo is working very hard to stop illegal mining; Galamsey, which is polluting our water bodies, the next generation of Ghanaians would have to import water from other countries if the trend is not stopped.
"Research has estimated that if the stern destruction of our forest, the approach to climate issues and our resistance to conduct environmental Sustainable packages continue then by 2030 we may as a country, Ghana, be importing water," he said
Hon. Amewu added that "As Ghanaians it is our basic estimation that water would become a basic necessity but currently it is a very scarce necessity because of our own actions and inactions."
Mr Donald Senanu Agumenu, President of the WRA said over six million people are living without clean water, and over 23 million people without toilet and urged all African leaders to be positive towards addressing the menace since development was human centered.
He called on corporate bodies to cooperate with government and the African continent at large, to adopt necessary strategies needed to champion this global issue.
Dr Jemima Yakah, Lecturer at the Department of Agricultural Extension Department, University of Ghana, also called on African leaders to adopt proactive strategies to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals 6; Access to safe water and sanitation and sound management of freshwater ecosystems are essential to human health and to environmental sustainability and economic prosperity.
She said the SDGs 6 ensures access to water and sanitation for all, and that, it was imperative for African authorities to provide quality and accessible water to all in rural communities.
Source: Ghanaweb.com
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I agree with the Minister but the 2030 timeline may be too far. It may happen sooner than 2030. I am saying this bcos of what is happening in my own village. Rivers where we use to go and fetch water and even swim are all dried up. ple now plant crops on the river path and cut down all the trees along the banks. the only thing helping the community now are the various wells ple dug in their compounds which of cause come with some price. Our own actions has lead us to pay for water now. something God did for us to have for free. water to me should not be sold in any form. if we take care of our water bodies, we will not all these sachet water and bottle water which are not even clean and/or full of chemicals. this is where we need the NGOs to work. I remember being a member of the Green Earth Organization while in SHS but I dont know whether that NGO still exist or not. we need to wake up as ple and stop blaming the politicians for everything. they are most of the time involved anyway. this galamsey thing is highly political and it will be very difficult to fight but so far so good. hope they continue like this.
We are not making any effort to creation. I learnt there is enough water under ground chase it Mr minister.
Massa, the importation of water has already started. What hurts, is that these very vulnerable are the same people destroying the water bodies. Very soon they will come blaming some politician who never picked up a shovel to engage in galamswey for not having portable water. Ghana, how backward can we be?
1. Prof Frimpong Boateng said illegal mining was being done in eight out of the 10 regions in the country, 2. and expressed concern that menace had covered and destroyed 23,000, about ten per cent out of the 230,000-kilometre square total land area of the country. What this tells us is that, the whole country is full of gold and other minerals which are being mined haphazardly with Ghana not deriving the full benefits of it's resources, with the attendant consequences being the destruction of about 10% of the total land area of this country. And what have we got in return? Destruction requiring a whooping sum of $650 billion to restore our environment, protect our livelihoods, food and water supply for our peoples and generations yet unborn. Clearly we must act greatly!!!. And this is coming from Prof. Frimpong Boateng in a story under the headline; Ghana requires $650 billion dollars and 16 consecutive years to reclaim our environment. My comment was censored on Ghanaweb so posted it here because it's a matter of great importance to the peoples of this country and we need to speak to it.