Managing Director of the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL), Dr. Clifford Braimah, has highlighted the critical need for enhanced protection of water bodies, framing it as a matter of national security.
He emphasised that security forces should be deployed to safeguard these vital resources from illegal mining activities.
Drawing a parallel to other nations where water bodies are treated as national security zones, Dr. Braimah pointed out that the Water Resources Commission, though a civilian entity, operates under the Ministry of Defence.
He stressed the importance of evaluating the military’s capacity to tackle the issue if current measures prove insufficient.
GWCL has raised significant alarms about illegal mining operations in the Pra River, which are severely disrupting their services.
The impact has been particularly acute in the Central Region, including Cape Coast, Elmina, and neighbouring areas, where residents have faced prolonged water shortages.
These mining activities are undermining the company’s ability to deliver clean, reliable water, thereby jeopardising regional water security.
Speaking to Joy News as part of the ‘Poisoned Rivers’ documentary, Dr Braimah said, “As of now, once in a while, we bring them in, but that is a flash, then it goes off.
But if you make it their responsibility and they cannot solve our water bodies being polluted, how can they guarantee that, when there is an invasion of foreign forces, they would be able to stop them?”
He stated that if protecting water bodies were designated as a national security issue, with the Water Resources Commission functioning as a civilian agency under military oversight, the problem could be resolved within 100 days.
Dr Braimah noted that the military would ensure high-quality results and could handle the task effectively if assigned that responsibility.
“So, I think we have reached a stage where we need to be blunt about it. We need to be truthful and confront it head-on. If we leave it in the hands of politicians, Mr A will say, ‘When I come, I will bring them back,’ while Mr B will say, ‘When I come, I will make sure they do not do it,’ and it becomes a game.”