More than 5 million Ghanaians including residents in some parts of Accra may not have access to potable water when the move is initiated.

[contextly_sidebar id=”geJFPQSMjYnVGlrlwwexCt3Mh2bc18ID”]This is according to a report by A-Rocha Ghana, an environmental NGO in the country focused on the preservation of natural resources.

A member of the NGO, Darly Bosu, told Umaru Sanda Amadu on Eyewitness News that many Ghanaians will lose access to potable water if the government goes ahead to mine bauxite to repay the loan, while creating jobs out of it.

“Going for this bauxite area is something Ghana shouldn’t think about at all. Certain implications come to face us as Ghanaians if we go ahead with this arrangement with the Chinese. We are foreseeing water supply to about 5 million people becoming impossible in about 5 years to come, immediately they start bauxite work in this area. It is something we cannot risk,” he said.

It emerged on Tuesday that the government was looking at leveraging its natural resources especially bauxite to contract the $15 billion loan from the Chinese government.

According to the Economic Adviser to the Vice President, Dr. Gideon Boako, the government through the agreement will construct bauxite refineries which will generate enough income to settle the loan.

But according to Mr. Bosu, it is not economical to do so comparing the cost benefit analysis of keeping the forest intact and opting for mining.

He said besides the stress it will put on the country’s water resources, some of the world’s endangered animal species currently found in the Atiwa forest will be lost as a result of government’s planned venture.

“The bauxite industry that we are talking about, if we really go for it, we can only have it for about 20 years. If you want to look at the long-term sustainability of a country you don’t risk losing all your eggs today,” he noted.

“If we want to really look in the future, we need to find ways of sustainably exploring the resources that we have without necessarily eroding the natural capital. Bauxite mining will completely destroy this forest reserve which is significant to biodiversity, water, and several other ecosystem services,” he added.

Sacrificing Atiwa Forest for ‘China Bauxite’ wrong – Inusah Fuseini

Meanwhile, the Former Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Alhaji Inusah Fuseini, has indicated that, the potential mining of Bauxite could see the forest reserve in Kyebi compromised.

He told Citi News in an interview that, “the bauxite at Kyebi is low grade, but it is under the Kyebi forest reserve which has been declared a global biodiversity area because of the presence of exotic species.”

“The UN is protecting the forest to ensure that we continue to get the benefit of these exotic species, the plants, and fauna that are in the forest…if you do national resource accounting, the resources over there, which is renewable, is definitely more than $15 billion dollars,” he said.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Bauxite ‘mortaging’: 5m Ghanaians to lose access to potable water – NGO appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

According to him, although citizens have the right to exploit the environment for present gains, it must be done without destroying it for the sake of posterity.

[contextly_sidebar id=”RTGB7lC7P0YUAJn3eWONGuYXyReaE892″]Delivering an address at the 60^th independence anniversary parade a the Black Star square in Accra, Nana Akufo-Addo said, the current state of the environment cannot be ignored, adding that our activities as citizens is “endangering the very survival of the beautiful and blessed land.”

“It is turning out to be a constant refrain, but, on a day like this, we cannot ignore the state of our environment. We are endangering the very survival of the beautiful and blessed land that our forebears bequeathed to us. The dense forests, that were home to varied trees, plants and fauna, have largely disappeared. Today, we import timber for our use, and the description of our land as a tropical forest no longer fits the reality. Our rivers and lakes are disappearing, and those that still exist are all polluted,” he said.

“It bears repeating that we do not own the land, but hold it in trust for generations yet unborn. We have a right to exploit the bounties of the earth and extract the minerals and even redirect the path of the rivers, but we do not have the right to denude the land of the plants and fauna nor poison the rivers and lakes,” he added.

Many experts in the forestry and natural resources industry have raised concerns over the spate of environmental degradation in the country.

Many of Ghana’s rivers have been left polluted with chemicals from activities from illegal miners popularly known as ‘galamsey’ operators.

This has resulted in the shutdown of a water treatment plan in the Eastern Region that treats and distributes potable water to various communities.

The activities of the ‘galamsey’ operators in the Atiwa forest reserve in the Eastern Region, have also resulted due to a significant destruction of parts of the forest.

But Akufo-Addo in his address said, “there is nothing we can do better to pay homage to those who fought to free us from bondage than to dedicate this 60th independence anniversary to protecting our environment and regenerating the lands and water bodies.”

“I have confidence that we can and will achieve the dreams of our forebears. I am hopeful that we will continue to make ourselves worthy inheritors of this land. I know that we will wear the accolade of being a Ghanaian with pride. Let us mobilize for the happy and prosperous Ghana of tomorrow, in which all of us, including our youth, our women and the vulnerable in our society, will have equal opportunities to realize their potential, and build lives of dignity. Then, our independence will be meaningful. Then, we will have a Ghana beyond aid,” he added.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @jnyabor

The post We can’t ignore current state of our environment – Akufo-Addo appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.