Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, a former chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM), has expressed concern over the current state of Ghana's rivers.

Speaking at a national dialogue on illegal mining on December 4, 2023, at the Labadi Beach Hotel, Frimpong-Boateng lamented that illegal mining popularly known as galamsey has left most river bodies polluted.

According to him, the gravity of the situation is such that traditional activities like paddling canoes have become impossible, rendering speed boats useless in water bodies contaminated by illegal mining activities.

Frimpong-Boateng emphasized that the polluted water is now unfit for any meaningful use, including drinking, washing, irrigation, bathing, and cooking.

He pointed out that aquatic life, including fish, has been either poisoned or killed by the pollution.

“If you look at the water basins in this country, most of them have been affected, so, the rivers, you can’t paddle any canoe on them, speed boats are useless.

“I mean you have heard that the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources imported speeds boats, they cannot function on our water bodies because the water is not good for anything, you can't drink it, you can't wash with it, you can’t cook with it, no bathing, irrigation, and watering of gardens not possible, watering of animals not possible, fish and other creatures poisoned or dead, ad tree crops are also polluted.

“So, what is the use of our rivers …Ghana is the only country where we have rivers but they are no use,” he lamented.

AM/SARA

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