Coordinator of Eco-Conscious Citizens, Awula Serwaa, has warned that those who politicise the fight against illegal mining will face divine judgment, as she urged urgent, non-partisan action to stop the poisoning of Ghana’s water bodies.

Speaking on Joy Prime's Prime Insight on Saturday, September 13, Awula Serwaa said the scale of contamination is already clear and accused politicians of failing to act despite abundant warnings.

Awula Serwaa urged young people not to allow politicians to gamble with their future.

“So you young people, if you’re going to sit there and allow the politicians to destroy your future, it’s your call. I have got more behind me than in front. We are advocating for Ghana and the people who are politicizing it. God will judge you, because God asked us to take care of our environment.

"We go to church, pay lip service, but we are supervising the poisoning of Ghanaians. We are supervising the poisoning of Ghanaian.”

She pointed out the broader consequences of contaminated water, from cooking and drinking to food production.

“What do you brush your teeth with? What do you cook with? When you go to restaurants, what water do you think they are using now? The food you are eating, the cassava, the plantain, where do you think they come from? The farmlands? What water do you think is watering them? So we face what I call an existential threat that the right to exist is being compromised.”

She said illegal mining remains illegal even when miners hold licences if they operate outside the permitted parameters.

“Illegal mining, even if you have a licence, occurs when you go outside the parameters of that licence, and everybody knows that. Professor Frimpong Boateng also highlighted this in his report. You are engaged in what? Illegal mining, even if you hold a piece of paper.

"I have a driving licence, but does that mean I should drive on the pavement or drive whilst intoxicated simply because I have a licence? Of course not.”

Awula Serwaa recalled repeated calls by opposition figures for tough measures in the past and questioned why the current administration has not acted decisively.

“So nothing that has been said is new. Anybody who is actually interested would have this information. So, your president before you came there are so many statements they made. They were lining up declare a state of emergency from Ablakwa. They all were saying, declare a state of emergency.

"The current president has been in power before, so he has a lot of information. Now you suddenly come to power, and they suddenly dawn on you that you cannot declare a state of emergency. He said you have other means at your disposal. If you do, what are you waiting for until every Ghanaian have dropped dead?” she asked.

She urged a temporary pause on small-scale mining to enable enforcement and compliance.

“When Chairman Ten was there, he had said that if he came to power, he would pause all forms of small-scale mining. We need a pause because what is happening now is that there's no enforcement, no compliance.”

She warned of mounting health impacts and explained why clear water is not the same as safe water. “KATH has told us that the number of kidney disease cases has gone up fourfold. 60% of our water bodies are contaminated. Of course, Ghana water does not remove the toxins. Everybody knows that. All they do is remove what makes the water brown.

"So, the fact that the water is clear doesn’t mean it’s safe. Some water companies go through what they call reverse osmosis in a bit to remove these toxins which are colourless cyanide, mercury, arsenic they don’t have a colour.”

She called for a national, non-partisan response to fight the galamsey menace.

“Let’s put Ghana first. Ghana, God has a nation ahead. Let’s, for once, forget about party politics and put Ghana first. I don’t have a problem because Ghana is my party.”