Report by Nana POKU
The Hon Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Hon Doctor Freda Prempeh has made a passionate appeal to our local chiefs and opinion leaders to assist the government to win the fight against illegal and indiscriminate mining in the country to save our water bodies and environment.
The Hon Minister made this appeal when she addressed the Press at the Ministry of Information to announce the celebration of World Sanitation Day on 30th September, 2023.
The sector minister was of the view that the operations of the Galamsey Operatives call for serious drastic attention to avoid complete annihilation of our water bodies within the next decade.
According to her a tour she took to some areas in the country demands immediate and concrete action to stop these unruly people or we risk going thirsty for portable water unless we import it.
“We want to appeal to the chiefs and opinion leaders in our communities who sell the land to help in the Galamsey fight. They sell the lands and know the people who approach them for the mining so they must refuse them concessions so that we will save our rivers,” she stated.
The minister stated that illegal mining has serious impact on the environment and the people to an extent that some communities have been suffering from diseases and contamination.
She stated that Ghana Water Company has to use more chemicals to purify the water at a great cost to the consumer and the company. Apart from this most illegal miners do not tidy up their areas of operations leading to sanitation problems for the people.
The occasion was the announcement for the World Sanitation Day that fell on 30th September to commemorate sanitation and cleanliness of our environment.
She also revealed the there’s going to a campaign called “Sesa Wo Suban” to whip up enthusiasm and desire to clean our environment.
She asked the Media to sensitize and trumpet the significance of the day and to enable Ghanaians buy into the exercise.
She warned of the consequence of not abiding by sanitation tenets that can give way to contracting of diseases. The ministry announced that very soon there will be more stringent laws to be passed by parliament to be enforced through an agency.
This will be spearheaded by a Sanitation Authority Agency to apply the laws in addition to the assembly by-laws. She also indicated that the refuse collectors who delay in collecting the refuse will be punished or surcharged.
