The Friends of Rivers and Water Bodies (FRWB), a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), says the current water crisis in the country is a sign of worse things to happen in the near future.
According to FRWB, the rate at which water bodies have been destroyed, water crisis would continue to be the biggest headache in the country.
In an emotional interview with The Enquirer, Nana Kwabena Dwomoh-Sarpong, President of the FRWB, said that the organisation started issuing warning notices some 10 years ago but nobody listened.
�Our biggest worry is with the various District Assemblies and the manner permits are issued for buildings to be put up on water ways,� he said.
Nana Dwomoh-Sarpong indicated that protection of rivers and water bodies is clearly spelt out in the mandate of assemblies, but unfortunately, they are the very institutions destroying the rivers and water bodies.
�We saw this thing coming long ago and sounded caution but it is like we were just making noise and look at where we are today. Come 2015, the crisis will be deeper,� he said.
He said that the importance of rivers and water bodies has been underestimated and the nation would definitely pay for the ultimate price.
�We are not being sincere to ourselves presently and what that means is that we are denying the next generation of one of the most important commodity in life, which is water. Not too long ago there were lots of rivers and water bodies across the country but all have been destroyed; all in the name of development. I get so much scared when I hear people talking about the fact that population has increased that is why people are building on water ways. What is the use of building when there will be no water for millions of people to survive?� he queried.
Nana Dwomoh-Sarpong, who sounded alarmed throughout the interview, said that the city authorities and planners have simply failed the nation.
Without mincing words, he said it is only when the nation gets to the dry season that equipment belonging to water providing institutions gets faulty.
According to him, authorities, through acts of commission and omission, have built gutters on water way and intelligently called them storm drains.
�Think of the Odaw River among others and look at how the gutters are creating problems for the nation anytime it rains,� he said.
He elucidated that the current drilling of boreholes would not do anybody any good as it would not save the situation.
�The water level in our soil is just depleting and people must dig deeper and what happened in India and part of Italy should guide us against boreholes. India had to introduce the Green Agriculture Project because the boreholes system did not and in Italy a city was destroyed because of boreholes,� he said.
Nana Dwomoh-Sarpong who is also the Country Director of Rain Harvest International, told The Enquirer that the time has come for Ghana to pursue rain-harvesting vigorously.
�The District Assemblies and other planning agencies should make it mandatory to have rain-harvesting in the scheme of affairs as it will help in saving water crisis. Presently, we are not getting anything from rainfall, apart from floods that destroy lives and property, while other countries are benefitting from rain big time,� he said.
The FRWB President said that the reality is with the country, saying �the climate change has worsened the situation for the country. We don�t get water during the dry season and when it rains the only benefit is flooding with its accompanying destruction of lives and property,� he said.
�Just look at the current electricity crisis, we all know that Ghana is using hydro for power generation and that means we need water but the water and rivers have been destroyed. To save the nation from the calamity currently staring at us, there should be action by all for all,� he advised
<<Print>>