Ghana risks acute water shortage as mines devastate sources

Justice Lee Adoboe in Coastweek via Xinhua: The Ghanaian government is making efforts to find a lasting solution to the perennial water crisis brought about by increased human activities and commercial ventures, with its negative impact on both urban and local communities.

Water bodies, which used to serve as intakes for water treatment plants providing potable water for urban communities, are either dying off or have been polluted that it does not make economic or social sense to continue treating water from them for human consumption.

Activities such as farming, dumping of liquid and solid waste into rivers and streams, bush burning, illegal logging of timber and mining activities have been identified as the main threats to Ghana’s water security.

These activities result in seasonal water shortages, resulting in the reliance on unconventional sources and expensive processes of water production and distribution to meet growing water demands. Official records say the capital, Accra, and neighboring port city Tema reel under a 35 million-gallon water supply deficit....