A US-based environmental engineer says treatment plants will not be able to treat water for consumption if drastic measures are not taken to curb illegal mining popularly known as 'galamsey' in the country.
Dr Juliet Ohemeng-Ntiamoah said that should the menace persist, the country will be forced to invest more of its funds to acquire potable water for its citizens.
Her statement comes in the wake of concerns over the deteriorating nature of Ghana's water resources as part of the negative impacts of small scale illegal mining.
Speaking on JoyNews’ AM Show, she intimated that it could be an immense burden on the people, particularly, the poor who would not be able to afford the expensive but critical commodity.
“Only 27% of Ghanaians have access to clean treated water while 66% have some form of access to water, like rivers, boreholes, and streams meeting their demand for water.
“The data is a clear indication that with time more of our water treatment plants are not going to be able to treat water for us to drink if the issue of galamsey is not solved with the urgency it requires,” the Environmental Engineer told Benjamin Akakpo.
She opined that other countries like the US have resources and are also for exploring gold adding that the activity is undertaken within the remits of the law.
She cited, “you can be an American citizen alright but you cannot get up, take an excavator and go into any forest and start mining because you found Gold there. The environmental laws are as strict as they can be. They have institutions that work to make sure that people are complying.”
Dr Ntiamoah was optimistic that the country can turn things around should government involve all relevant stakeholders.
“We need to strengthen our institutions, we need the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to do its job as it should. We need the chiefs to be able to take responsibilities for areas under their Jurisdiction.
“DCE’s need to be really up and doing ensuring that Galamsey is not going on in their districts. Leaving the President to do the job because he has deployed 200 men in this regard may not necessarily be enough for the fight,” she was categorical.
Latest Stories
-
Reduce over-reliance on imports to stabilise cedi – TUC boss tells Ghanaians
2 mins -
‘We’re taking it game by game’ – Ibrahim Tanko on Accra Lions’ title ambitions
11 mins -
Nigerians pick sides as Wizkid and Davido clash online
15 mins -
Nigeria Workers’ Day: Civil servants get pay rises up to 35%
21 mins -
“I am the Austrian team boss with all my heart,” Rangnick turns down Bayern
39 mins -
Failed asylum seeker given £3,000 to go to Rwanda
41 mins -
Nigerian gasoline prices soar as shortages worsen cost of living crisis
1 hour -
Paris 2024: We will win medal at Olympics if government invests more – GPC President
1 hour -
Akufo-Addo calls for protection of Ghana’s democratic reputation and identity
1 hour -
Apple working to fix alarming iPhone issue
1 hour -
‘You won’t win GPL title without your own stadium’ – Bashir Hayford tells Kotoko, Hearts
1 hour -
Ryan Garcia denies using performance-enhancing drugs after beating Devin Haney
1 hour -
We must change phenomenon of moneyed elections – Raymond Atuguba
1 hour -
Accra Lions punished us for not taking our chances – Hearts of Oak assistant coach Abdul Bashiru
1 hour -
Biosafety Authority welcomes court’s dismissal of application seeking injunction on approval of 14 GMOs
2 hours