Former chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM),  Prof Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, has bemoaned the current state of most rivers in the country.

Speaking at JoyNews’ national dialogue on illegal mining, he said the illegal mining activities in the country have polluted most of the river bodies.

According to him, the situation is dire, so much so that canoes can’t be paddled on them. He also noted that speed boats are useless since they cannot function in polluted water bodies.

The former Environment Minister indicated that the polluted water cannot be used for anything meaningful, such as drinking, washing, irrigation, bathing, cooking, etc, adding that “fish and other aquatic creatures are poisoned or dead.”

“So what is the use of our rivers? Ghana is the only country where you have rivers but there is no use,” he said.

He further stated that the menace has also led to loss of biodiversity, loss of edibles and habitats, which poses danger to humans and animals, as in the haste to destroy the land to win gold, we destroy our lungs by cutting down the forests that give us clean oxygen, destroy our pharmacies because we get rid of herbal medicines, as well as destroy our food sources as farmers no longer find it lucrative to go on farming.