The Centre for Environmental Law and Development (CELD) has criticised the National Water Policy saying it does not make adequate provision for the effective management of wetlands in the country. Although the Centre appreciates government's efforts in improving initiatives at managing the country's water bodies and wetlands, the absence of a clear cut policy on wetlands can adversely affect gains made in that direction. "It is our opinion that Ghana's water policy in its present form is clearly not harmonised enough to yield the sustainable development and or sustainable utilisation of the country's water resources it envisages," Douglas Korsah-Brown, Director of CELD said in the CELD's message to mark the International Wetlands Day observed last Saturday. Water, he noted, is inextricably linked to wetlands and a policy that clearly omits to reflect that synergy which has fundamental challenges to address. Unfortunately even though there are clear indications in official policy recommendations, it is time to articulate such a position, the political will needed to achieve this has not been sufficiently garnered, he said, adding that the discrepancies were discovered during a review of the policy by the Centre. For instance, he said there is no mention in the Policy of the Forestry Commission which is the focal institution according to Ramsar Convention on wetlands, to coordinate the management of wetlands. In addition, he said it is not clear as to what body is the implementing agency, whether it is the Ministry of Land and Forestry or the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing. That he said could create implementation problems because the wetlands and water falls under the two ministries, but the policy failed to clearly indicate which one should be the implementer. "Ghana's water policy needs a review to adequately cater for the inconsistencies which have decoupled the water resource from the wetland resource," Mr. Korsah-Brown stated. In order for the vision of sustainable development through the use of wetlands to be effective, he said there was the need for clearly defined instrument in the country's policies and laws in a manner that can be effectively implemented. Wetlands, which include swamps and marshes, are areas where water covers the soil, or is present either at or near the surface of the soil for varying periods of time during the year, including the growing season. Water saturation largely determines how the soil develops and the types of plant and animal communities living in and on the soil. The prolonged presence of water creates conditions that favour the growth of specially adapted plants and promote the development of characteristic wetland soils. Ghana is a signatory to the Ramsar Convention on Wet¬lands, signed in Ramsar, Iran, in 1971, which is an inter-governmental treaty which provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources, as a contribution towards achieving sustainable development throughout the world. There are presently 158 Contracting Parties to the Convention, with 1717 wetland sites, totaling 159 million hectares, designated for inclusion in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance. Source: The Ghanaian Times