Water Crisis Imminent

A major water crisis is likely to hit Ghana in the next 15 years, if the current rate of water pollution is not checked, an environmentalist has warned.

"The continued farming along the banks of the country's major rivers could lead to a major water crisis," says Nana Dwuomoh Sarpong, President of Friends of the Earth, an environmental non-governmental organisation. He was speaking at the inauguration of the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) chapter of the Federation of Environmental Journalists.

He said the farming along river banks had led to severe erosion around many of the country's water bodies, and it could affect the water level of the Akosombo Dam, since most of the rivers flowed into the Volta River.

Nana Sarpong also asserted that Ghana's dream of becoming a middle-income country by 2015 would remain a mirage if the level of pollution of water bodies persisted. "The importation of common fruit; like mango from Burkina Faso, has come about as a result of our inability to manage our water bodies efficiently," he noted.

Osafo Djan, president of the GIJ Chapter of the Federation, appealed to journalists not to limit their reportage to politics but to also cover other important issues like the environment.