Commission takes steps to protect water bodies

The Water Resources Commission (WRC) has adopted an integrated cross-sector approach towards the tackling of peculiar problems faced by river basin catchment areas to prevent pollution and degradation.

Under the approach, titled, “Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM)”, the Commission seeks to establish River Basin Management Coordinating Boards (River Basin Secretariats).

These would liaise with the Regional Coordinating Councils, the district assemblies, traditional authorities, civil society organizations (CSO’s) and other stakeholders in communities living along or sharing common boundaries with river basins to provide adequate safeguards.

Ms Abenaa Wiredu Breman of the Pra River Basin Secretariat in Kumasi , in a presentation at a day’s workshop organized by the WRC for journalists in the Ashanti Region , said so far five of such bodies had been set up – Densu, Tano, White Volta, Pra and Offin.

The workshop was used as a forum to introduce the media to the IWRM.

The participants were taken through some of the core business of WRC, key among them are to monitor and evaluate programmes for the operation and maintenance of water resources and to advise the government.

The Commission, has additionally, been counselling pollution control agencies in Ghana on matters relating to the management and control of pollution of water resources.

Mrs Adwoa Darko, the Public Relations Officer (PRO), urged journalists to do follow-up stories on the environment to achieve maximum impact.

“Water or environment stories need to be revisited so often to keep readers up to date on the latest developments,” she said.