Churches Struggle To Get Clean Water For Baptism

Rev. Justice Zigah and Rev. Jerry John Nana Appiah Kubi

 

It has emerged that some churches, particularly in the Western and Central regions, now struggle to find clean water bodies for baptism.

This is due to the devastating impact of illegal mining activities, popularly known as ‘galamsey’, on the river bodies.

In separate interviews, some of the church leaders bemoaned the extent to which galamsey operators have polluted the water bodies in their catchment areas, which have rendered those rivers unfit for human use, including baptism.

Rev. Jonathan Andoh, Head Pastor of Christ Redemption Church at Beposo in the Western Region, indicated that the church used to baptize its members in the Pra River in the area.

“But with the current state of the river, we find it difficult to baptize church members in the Pra River. So now we have to resort to baptizing the members in the sea far away from Beposo,” he lamented.

Rev. Andoh called on the government to urgently address the galamsey menace and provide alternative livelihoods for the youth engaged in the illegal activities.

For his part, the Moree Regional Pastor of Christian Divine Church, Rev. Jerry John Nana Appiah Kubi was also surprised at the destruction of water bodies in Twifo Praso, citing pollution from chemicals used in galamsey operations.

“All the water bodies in this area have been polluted, and the chemicals used are harmful to humans. Now we cannot conduct baptism in the rivers. This is another consequence of unchecked galamsey activities,” he added.

He disclosed that at a point the church had to abandon baptism due to lack of clean water, which he said was affecting the spiritual growth of church members.

“It was heartbreaking to tell new converts that we cannot baptize them because there is no clean water. Now we have to do the exercise in the sea,” he noted.

Rev. Justice Zigah, Pastor of the Assemblies of God at Twifo Praso, also revealed that churches in the area now travel long distances to find clean water for baptism.

“Previously, we were baptizing our members in the Pra River and other water bodies, but now we find it difficult to conduct the spiritual exercise in the polluted rivers,” he added.

 

From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi

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