WATER COMMISSION URGED TO INTENSIFY EDUCATION TO CHECK SILTATION OF WATER BODIES
The Upper East Regional Minister, Hon. Stephen Yakubu, has called on the Water Resource Commission (WRC) to intensify education on the need for farmers not to farm within the buffer zone areas to avoid siltation of water bodies.
He said as a government Agency, the WRC was responsible for the regulations, management and utilization of water bodies, and should regularly interface with host communities to avoid bad practices such as discharging of waste water into dams and open defecation.
The Regional Minister said this at a day knowledge-based capacity building workshop for the Bongo Traditional Council, organized by the Management of the Blue Deal Project responsible for the handling of the White Volta Basin in Ghana and Burkina Faso.
He explained that the major sources of surface and groundwater were being polluted by the day as a result of farming activities on the river banks, discharging of faecal matter, mining activities among others.
Citing waste from the Gowrie Senior High School for example, he said “Issues of waste water disposal among others from the Gowrie Senior High School should be properly handled to prevent any form of pollution to the Vea Dam,”
He, therefore, advised the WRC to engage the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources on the possibilities of replicating what he termed the “Water Police” concept as pertained in Burkina Faso as that would help enforce the buffer zone policy and ensure that various water bodies were not polluted.
Hon. Yakubu told the participants that the government was considering the riparian vegetation along the major rivers including the White Volta, Red Volta and Black Volta and their tributaries under the Ghana Landscape Restoration and Small-Scale Mining Project.
He commended the Dutch Water Authorities for their support to the Blue Deal as an integrated water resources management approach to resolving some water challenges in the Bongo Area.
The Paramount Chief of the Bongo Traditional Area, Bonaba Baba Salifu Atamale Lemyaarum, appealed to Divisional Chiefs in the area to be passionate about environmental protection and adopt creativity like enskining “Environmental Chief” to be solely responsible for the environment.
He also appealed to the state to empower the traditional authorities with some legislation to deal with some recalcitrant individuals who careless about environmental protection as was done their forefathers in the olden days.
