Epidemic Looming: Ghana To Import Drinking Water (Tirade One)
Tuesday, September 20,2022
Am yet to know if there is any available technology to replace water for man consumption and survival in the absence of potable water?
Believe it or not, water is an essential commodity and resource that no country can afford to lose if it’s mismanaged.
Ghana is more likely to resort to drinkable water importation to worsen the country’s economic hardship due to unchecked human activities.
The political color motivated officials and technocrats keeps denying and kicking against the realities of this nature, meanwhile they and claiming to be God fearing people (Christians, Muslims and Traditional Believers).
What makes it a big deal for these ‘God Created’ human beings (position holder or not) to see the crucial need to protect the water bodies and minor streams in the surrounding communities for sustainability and survival of man?
Maybe the Religious leaders can answer.
Mr Clergyman, Imam, what do you preach to your people?
The state is paying your people as officials and technocrats to ensure protection of the natural resources for the survival of the people paying them and the unborn generations.
Mr. Clergyman, Imam, are you aware they have turned death ears and blind eyes to unacceptable happenings under their watch?
Mr. Religious leader, are you aware your people are enjoying stated resources but careless about delivering their mandate and why they are being paid? Have stakeholders considered and realized that the technocrats are those playing the integral part of government’s inability to win the waste management fight in the country?
They are prioritizing political color and placing higher value on partisan politics, personal interest and greediness rather than using their highly paid Offices to deliver their mandates.
They are now the “greedy monkey” in the forest who careless about the smoke coming and got burnt onto ashes.
The wetlands were specially made by God to store a lot of carbon to mitigate climate change and its menace, but urbanization and cruel man activities towards the water bodies and the entire natural environment had become the order of the day and a hardened obstacle in protecting wetlands in Ghana.
Survey
An environmental scanning survey conducted on water bodies in the two Sunyani Municipalities of the Bono region by thefourlens.com has gathered terrible situations to severely affect potable water supply in no time.
The situation is a looming epidemic being health, economic threat and national security issues that demands stringent legal action to subdue the menace.
State officials and technocrats mandated to be the environmental custodians were far asleep, and for whatever reasons leaving their task of protecting the natural environment and its resources to rot.
This is gradually snowballing unseen danger amidst the economic hardship and likely to cause a disastrous and economic epidemic than the COVID-19 pandemic.
The rate at which people are deliberately throwing garbage from households into gutters and water bodies is an eye-saw and painful phenomenon causing heavy pollution.
These reckless and environmentally disadvantaged behaviors coupled with the galamsey would lead Ghana into economic, health and development ditch.
The phenomenon of building in minor waterways, illegal logging and lumbering, excessive charcoal burning has become a canker and if not checked with immediate effect would hightened climate change menace on the country.
The unrest activities are greatly depleting the natural environment or eco-systems and gradually causing extinction to courses of streams and minor rivers linking the main rivers such as the Tano River (main source of drinking water) for people of the former Brong-Ahafo and adjoining regions.
This is going to compel Ghana to importation of water for domestic purposes in the nearest future.
This is inhuman act regardless of the fact that the God Ghanaians claimed they are serving made available the resources for their own survival and it’s prohibited to mete inhuman treatment to such resources.
Government, Traditional Authorities, the Clergy and Imams, Assembly members, Youth Associations, the officials and technocrats in charge and other individuals should take keen interest in analyzing the devastations being cause as a result of current cruel happenings.
Facts sheet during the tour:
1. The water bodies were seen blocked with woods, concrete blocks, rubbish and other unwanted materials to stop the streams from flowing.
2. Many structures such as houses, churches and hotels were also situated at unauthorized places (underground water sources), causing continues flooding in Sunyani in recent days.
3. Some households in Sunyani deliberately channel their sewages with fecal matter through pipes direct into the streams and other water sources in the Municipality to heavily contaminate these water resources.
4. There is continues and unchecked attitudes of dumping household rubbish and other forms of waste into gutters and the streams to pollute the water bodies.
The affected streams
Abaase, Akuokoso, Asuo Asrifi, Nana Bonsu, Kanesua, Sunyani, Danyame, Adjei, Akokra Kwajo and Agozo were streams mostly affected by such cruel acts in the Sunyani Municipality.
In the Sunyani West Municipality were Atta Dei Kofi, Badesua, Kuasu and Nsunsunsua streams and the Tano River while the galamseyers are on the river Pra, Bremu, Ankobra, Densu, Bia, Ayensu, Offin and our forest cover.
State authorities careless about these “wicked” acts becoming ‘unacceptable’ normal and the ‘order of the day’ forgetting the streams in question are the tributaries of the Tano River and Primary sources of drinking water for the populace in Sunyani and adjoining Municipalities.
These unfortunates are gradually creating potable water scarcity situation which would spring up severe economic hardship in no time.
Speaking to thefourlens.com, some affected residents said besides drinking the contaminated raw water, they fetch to prepare food, especially porridge known by Ghanaians as ‘Koko’ for public consumption as breakfast.
Mr. Victor Akuliga, a former Assembly member for Asufufu-Watchman electoral area, a suburb of the Sunyani Municipality said the area has communities such as Bofokrom, Adomako, Konto and Nkrankrom with more than 7000 population depending solely on the Sunyani stream as their source of drinking water and for agricultural purposes.
Vegetable farmers in lettuce, cabbage, garden eggs, carrot and cucumber production fetch from these garbage and feces-contaminated streams to water their crops daily.
This could lead to food poisoning likely to cause unexpected health pandemic to the masses in the coming years because the unwanted deposits compromise the quality of water for domestic uses.
Mr. Maxwell Kwadwo Frimpong, an educationist and a vegetable farmer, was in gripped fear that the severe environmental degradation activities would not only cause unsafe water supply for consumption, but also affect air quality.
He told thefourlens.com that such activities contribute greatly to changes in the rainfall pattern, bring severe climate change, long-term public health problems and also reduce croplands productivity which diminish crop yield.
The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Mr. Samuel Abdulai Jinapor, when assumed Office emphatically stated that “protection of the environment and water bodies in our country will be my overarching objective”.
Such sayings by political leaders from decades were unwarranted and mere talks, I therefore plead this shouldn’t be political talk because without commitment, dedication, selfless interest and devoid of partisan politics and impunity, the battle would be a failed one.
Innocent Ghanaians and economic vulnerable ones are the people to feel the intense heat.
[Via] ttchrietoph1@gmail.com
