Where are the powers of the state to protect our environment?

Most of us have seen horrible images of emaciated infants and adults who are experiencing droughts in their countries. But apart from batting our eyelids and the expression of some compassion and shock, many think that the situation those people find themselves in is far removed from us.

Coming events, it is said, cast their shadows and if the wanton destruction of our fast dwindling water resources through the abuse of the environment is anything to go by, then it will not be long before we are hit with the scarcity of water, as has been predicted over time.

We are not trying to be prophets of doom. What we seek to send across is that we are digging our own graves through irresponsible overexploitation of our water and natural resources. If we continue to look on without acting to stop the trend, it is only gloom and doom that would visit us as a country.

For those of us who experienced a little of the 1983 drought that hit the country, the discomfort of that year should be a constant reminder of what lies in store for us if we allow a few greedy people to continue to destroy what is left of our rivers, lakes, streams and forests.

It is because there would always be people who would mismanage our water bodies as they seek selfish ends that many government bodies and agencies have been created.

Yet agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Forestry Commission, Lands Commission, Water Resources Commission and the Minerals Commission, among other governmental agencies with the mandate to prevent the destruction of our water bodies seem not to be doing much to avert a calamity.

The metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) also have the duty to ensure that our natural resources and water bodies in their jurisdictions are protected from destruction by self-seeking individuals.

Our activities are gradually pushing us towards the fringes of climate change, if we have not already hastened our steps by destroying our ecological balance. We may destroy our water bodies through mining and pollution with chemicals and filth and think that they will regenerate when it rains.

We, therefore, plead with the many task forces that have been formed to check illegal activities that destroy the environment  to be consistent in restraining the perpetrators from engaging in further destruction. We also urge the government to adequately resource the task forces, so that they do not use the lack of logistics as an excuse not to be proactive in the duty assigned them.

The destruction of our water bodies is a matter of life and death since water has no substitute and the government must treat it with all the urgency it deserves. The Ghana Army must be deployed to areas where illegal chainsaw operators and miners have armed themselves to the teeth to ward off the task force.

Already, the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) is finding it difficult to provide treated water to the citizens due to the excessive pollution of some water sources. We cannot allow a few greedy people to hold us all to ransom and endanger our very existence on this earth.