Water Bodies In Bono Region Threatened By Indiscriminate Waste Disposal

Dr Samuel Ason, the Bono Regional Chief Manager of the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL), has expressed concern about the indiscriminate disposal of solid and liquid wastes that continue to pollute water bodies nationwide.

He said human activities, particularly open defecation, indiscriminate felling of trees, illegal mining and unwholesome chemical farming, were greatly and continuously causing pollution of the water bodies.

“These unhealthy human practices are also destroying the natural habitat of fish species and other aquatic animals,” Dr Ason, stated, saying reckless destruction of the environment due to human activities were drying up many water bodies.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Sunyani, Dr Ason cited uncontrolled logging and lumbering as well as farming around river courses as activities that were having effects on river Tano and other rivers in the region and making the cost of treatment more expensive.

He said river Tano remained the major source of water supply in the Sunyani Municipality and other parts of the region, saying because of the extent of pollution, the company was spending huge sums of money on the treatment of water for public consumption.

“The more we pollute our water bodies, the more we invest hugely in treatment,” he said and appealed to the public to avoid indiscriminate disposal of waste to protect rivers and streams.

“In fact, water is an essential commodity for human survival and everybody must make it his or her responsibility to protect our water courses,” Dr Ason said and called for attitudinal change for a sustainable environment.

He called on the Municipal and District Assemblies in the region to enforce water and sanitation bylaws to ensure the protection of the water bodies and environment in general for the benefit of the current and future generations.