Government initiates policies to protect water bodies

Accra, Nov. 9, GNA - Government has initiated a number of policy measures to protect the country's water bodies, Mr Alban Sumani Bagbin, Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing, told Parliament on Tuesday.

He said the measures include a National Buffer Zone Policy promotion of Basin-based Integrated Water Resources Management, public awareness and education programmes, water quality monitoring, and trans-boundary cooperation.

Mr Bagbin noted that a national buffer zone policy had been finalized for adoption to guide the creation and management of tree covers on land strips along open water bodies in order to restore, conserve and maintain the ecological integrity and to provide optimal socio-economic benefits of such designated areas. Mr Bagbin explained that in the meantime, pilot tree planting programmes for the restoration of riverbanks were being implemented in selected river basins such as the Densu and the White Volta through support from NGOs and community based organizations. On the Basin-based Integrated Water Resources Management, he said eight basin boards were being set up to ensure coordinated implementation of the programmes to address basin specific water problems.

He stressed that, so far three basins: Densu, White Volta and Ankobra are functioning effectively. Mr Bagbin added that the Dayi River Basin Board had just been set up adding that two new basin boards were also being formed at Pra and Tano to address issues such as pollution that affected the quality and quantity water resources.

He said the local community organizations and NGOs such as the Weija Lake Protection Association were also being identified and encouraged by supporting their activities. Mr Bagbin said specific public awareness and education activities being pursued included systematic regional workshops targeting assembly men, women, groups, the media, and traditional authorities. He said training workshops would also be organized for the judiciary including the police in view of their roles in ensuring the enforcement of rules and regulations.

As part of the education, he said, bill boards with clear messages would also be mounted along major rivers. On compliance and water quality, Mr Bagbin said the state of water quality was monitored and known at any particular time through the water quality index model and specified measures were then determined for implementation.

He said the youth particularly students were being trained to use simple monitoring toolkits adding that every district assembly was being encouraged to set up water quality monitoring units to assist in policing and implementing activities towards improving the quality of water.