By Kwame Mensah
The River Pra, with its tributaries of about 240km and a major source of livelihood for around 7 million people in Ashanti, Eastern through Western Region, is on the verge of destruction.
Its tributaries -- Offin, Birim and Oda -- are equally highly threatened with pollution and human activities in and along their banks. As a result of this the river and its tributaries have lost a significant volume of water over the years, and their quality is also compromised in all aspects.
Ghana Water Company (GWCL) has to use more chemicals for its treatment, which also has adverse implications for human health. The President of an environmental Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Friends of Rivers and Water Bodies, Nana Dwomoh Sarpong has revealed to journalists in Accra.
According to him, he is saddened to see a vital natural resource that is the basis for survival of human beings destroyed with impunity through the activities of galamsey operations; deliberate farming along the banks of these rivers; and dumping of pollutants into them.
He said the District Assemblies have failed in their duty to protect the rivers and urged all and sundry to come on board to protect them for our future generations. Nana Sarpong whose NGO collaborates with the Water Resource Commission (WRC) made available the latest Water Quality Index for the Pra River Basin between 2005 and 2011 produced by WRC.
The data above illustrates an apparent slide in quality of the Pra River and its tributaries from 2005 to 2011, which is a source of concern to government and civil society. Nana Sarpong explained that as soon as the quality of a river is threatened, it has a corresponding effect on its volume.
He also said his NGO won an award in the 2003 Kyoto (Japan) World Water Forum as a result of his persistent concern in protecting rivers and water-bodies by planting thousands of coconut seedlings and other tree species along several rivers in the country.
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