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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.