IS GHANA READY TO IMPORT PORTABLE WATER?

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Water remains an essential commodity in the ecosystem as well as the human body. The benefits of water in our everyday lives cannot be over-emphasized.
Keeping the human body hydrated is a crucial undertaken for good health and well-being.
Although, water is ubiquitous in nature pointing out the inevitable roles water plays in the ecosystem.
 About 60 percent of the human body is made up of water and about 70 percent of the planet’s surface is covered by water this revealed how important water is very essential and necessary to living organism on earth.
Ghana as a country in the sub-Saharan African is blessed with all kinds of water bodies including the sea, rivers, lagoons, lakes as well as falls and can boast of one of the biggest natural lake in West-Africa, Lake Bosomtwe.
These should have been a great opportunity for the country to enjoy portable water and also protect aquatic life but sad to note that these water bodies have rather turned a national contaminants.
Water bodies in Ghana are filled with all kinds of pollutants including arsenic found plastics, human excreta, sewage from industries and inorganic compounds used for illegal mining across the country and these have made the gift of nature unsafe for human consumption.



Meanwhile, the United Nations Organization (UNO) as part of its sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have captured to ensure, protect and maintain the condition of the world through universal safe drinking water for all by 2030, unfortunately, this vision of the United Nations have been shattered by the irresponsible activities of the people in the country.
Human health is very important to every country, because the stronger the labour force, there is a higher increase in the productivity ensuring the stability the economic growth of the country but the situation in Ghana on water contamination has become a norm and order of the day forgetting the adverse effect of the consumption of polluted water.
The widespread problem of water pollution is jeopardizing national health. Unsafe water kills more people each year than war and all other form of violence combined which can be attributed to the irresponsible behavior of countrymen.
The target of the United Nations of By 2030 which is to improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated waste water and substantially increasing recycling and safe refuse globally seems not to be applicable in Ghana and none of the law enforcement agencies see to enforce the law by punishing wrong doers or subject them to the law court to set offenders as a deterrent for others to desist from all forms of pollution in the country.
Notwithstanding the increasing rate of pollution of water bodies in the country, waste management in the country has been a major problem in the country, dumping refusing in water bodies seems to be the easiest method to people to get rid of the household waste in the country.
Pollutants in the heart of Accra

Aside these, illegal mining has also become another agent of water contamination in the country. Illegal mining activities has caused a great harm to the nation, miners have replaced our portable water for minerals by diluting the water bodies with inorganic compounds.
Researches reveal that most prominent source of water in the country like the Densu, Pra, Offin, Ankobra have been contaminated with mercury and cyanide which is dangerous to the human body especially in reproduction and digestion.


How safe are we if we continue to consume this water infested with mercury, arsenic and cyanide? Should we continue to pollute our own water and deliberately call on the government to provide us with portable water?
The rampant pollution of water in the country can also be attributed to the irresponsible behavioral patterns of the individual. Most water bodies across the country are now unsafe for human consumption and this will be a greater burden for the government to import portable water for consumption while we dilute our water bodies with inorganic compounds and human excreta.
The Sustainable Development Goals of UNO which targeted to emancipate the African continent from poverty is nothing to write home about since the people within the continent seems not change their attitude towards the protection and sustenance of the environment.
Although, Ghana can boost of numerous water processing companies but how many people in the country can afford to buy water for all their consumption and house chores? There is a need as citizens not spectators to ensure that that our environment especially are water bodies are protected and free from pollutants.
The consumption of contaminated water has an adverse impact on the economic growth of the country, the more people consume polluted water, the more the country decrease in productivity since the problems in Ghana has not yet being solved completely there is the need to rethink of water pollution as a national conversation and start to change our attitude and protect our water bodies.
Fellow Ghanaians, this is the land our birth obtained through the blood and toil of our forefathers therefore, we should join in hands to converse our water bodies since the government is not ready to bear the burden of water importation. water is life and an essential component in the ecosystem.

KYEI BAFFOUR ALEX- 
Watch our YouTube digital story on Water Pollution in Ghana
Listen to the most recent episode of my podcast: WATER POLLUTION IN GHANA-GROUP 4 


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