We have ‘killed’ all our water bodies

It is certain that when the geography of Ghana is rewritten, we will have fewer rivers, lakes and streams shown on the map because we have ‘killed’ all the water bodies that we depended on in the past.

The Pra, Birim and Densu rivers, the Weija and Bosomtwe lakes, as well as lagoons such as the Chemu and Korle, have all become so polluted that they no longer have life – they are literally dead.

If they do not have life, then certainly they cannot give life or support the life of communities that depend on them.

Our water situation has become so grave due to wanton pollution by human activities such as illegal mining, farming on river beds during the dry season and the use of chemicals and inorganic fertiliser in farming.

People are under the erroneous impression that throwing or channelling liquid or solid waste into drains and water bodies is the most effective way of dealing with our waste. So individuals, as well as companies, have channelled waste from their activities and operations into water channels and bodies. 

Unfortunately, by so doing they have completely killed those water sources or bodies or choked up the drains or pathways of the water, so much so that the water flows no more – everything is dead.

No scientific proof is needed to confirm the state of our water bodies. Quick visits to the Weija Lake, which takes its source from the Densu River, or Nsawam, from where the Densu flows to Accra; the Birim or the Pra, will reveal the extent of pollution human activities have caused those water bodies.

In fact, with some of them, there seems to be no way that the harm done can be corrected or reversed. With others, if we are fortunate, halting the activities that pollute them could enable nature to do its own cleansing.

The stark truth that stares us in the face, however, is the fact that the country is in dire straits now concerning sources of drinking water. The earlier the situation is taken as a security issue and what is left of our water bodies protected from further pollution, the better it would be for us as a country.

The Water Research Institute (WRI) of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has already sounded the alarm bells, which must be heeded to by all.

Ghana is headed for water stress by 2025 or before then, unless something drastic is done about the country’s current water situation.

Already, a CSIR report has indicated that the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) is not able to deal with the algae in the water it treats because the company is not equipped to do so. This means that algae traces remain in the water treated and piped to consumers by the GWCL. 

The Daily Graphic urges all stakeholders in the water sector to help salvage the situation before it becomes too late. More importantly, we urge the public to help police what is left of our water bodies and report people who pollute them.

We also believe that the security agencies need to join efforts to protect our water bodies, since it is a matter of national security. 

The Daily Graphic believes that the security post at the Weija Lake must be replicated at our major water sources to forestall further destruction of those water sources.

If we fail in this endeavour to protect what is left of our water, we will wake up one day and find that even the polluted water that is now available is no more there to be treated.    

Let us, therefore, enforce the laws that protect our water by applying proper sanctions against individuals and companies that pollute water sources.