The Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Samuel Abdulai Jinapor, has intimated that the murkiness of polluted rivers in Ghana will take an appreciable time to dissipate.
Rivers including the Ankobra and the Pra have been heavily polluted by activities of illegal miners in the country.
This pollution has had impact on both industrial and domestic activities of human while aquatic life has also received a fair share of the destruction.
Earlier in January for instance, the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) issued a directive to the public in which it indicated the limited distribution of water to customers as result of the impact of the dry season which has been worsened by the activities of illegal miners.
Prior to the issuance of the said directive which sought to aid equitable distribution of water to the consumers, GWCL had complained about the challenges galamsey was posing to the supplier’s activities.
The Public Relations Officer, Stanley Martey, noted that between 25% and 40% of water drawn from the Pra river for processing and distribution to parts of the country goes waste due to the turbidity of the water.
This situation, he indicated on the Anopa Bofoɔ morning show, makes the supplier underserve its customers.
“The water is very terrible. The little mud drawn translates into some 40% of water lost. The 60% percent remaining is not enough to suffice the population”, said Stanley Martey.
In addition to the limited supply is the issue of financial losses as much of the company’s revenues generated goes into mechanic fault repairing and equipment replacements among other expenses.
Mr. Jinapor speaking on Ghana Television monitored by Angelonline.com.gh, said the situation is “heartbreaking” and would take some time to return to normalcy.
“I have been reliably advised that given the level of pollution and the extent of the pollution and the period of the pollution may take a considerable time of non-disturbance of the river bodies for [them] to recover” said the Minister.
Admitting that not all goals have been achieved in the sector, he has indicated the governments resolve to tackle the menace till it is rooted out.
