GWCL to commission audit of water bodies
The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL), has said it will soon commission a comprehensive audit of all water bodies to map out the state of water bodies and the extent of interference from illegal mining activities.
The move is aimed at stemming the tide of rapid depletion and contamination of water bodies as a result of illegal mining activities.
The GWCL announced this in a statement issued in Accra signed by Dr Clifford Briamah, Managing Director, and copied to the Ghana News Agency on Monday.
The statement congratulated workers for their hard work as the world marked May Day adding that “the quality of water produced and distributed matters to us and we have been observing developments within the last four months with concern and great apprehension.”
It said “the audit, when completed, will give the GWCL a scientific impression of the water stock available to the country and the extent of deterioration in water quality in the light of human interventions.”
It said in addition to the audit, “The GWCL will explore ways of bolstering communities’ sense of ownership of water bodies with the view to empowering them to police water bodies that pass through their communities.”
It said the menace of illegal and unsustainable mining (galamsey) threatened the ability of the GWCL to continue producing water to meet the domestic and industrial needs of the country.
The statement reminded all of the rapid depletion of the country’s water bodies and sources of water from which the GWCL produced water for the consumption saying “this trend poses a great danger for the very future of our country as water is the very essence of life and livelihoods.”
It said “as we celebrate workers’ day, the GWCL implores all involved in illegal mining acts to stop the criminal trade and apply themselves to honest labour.”
It said “GWCL is committed to partnering with government in the fight against the pollution and contamination of our water bodies and [ensuring] the provision of safe and affordable water for all.”
The statement called on all to cooperate with government and GWCL in the various initiatives to combat the ongoing menace and to restore water bodies to their natural states “for our good and the good of future generations.”
Source: GNA