By Jerry Azanduna
Techiman (BE/R) Nov. 30, GNA – The Water Resources Commission (WRC) has sensitised Senior High School students, as well as public and private institutions on water management, calling for its judicious use.
It also encouraged the protection of water bodies within the Tano River Basin, a trans-boundary basin between Ghana and Cote D’Ivoire.
Mr Solomon Danso-Ankamah, a Principal Officer and the Head of Tano Basin of the WRC, who made the call, said the Tano River Basin remained a major source of potable drinking water to many Ghanaians, hence the need to preserve it.
He was speaking at a day’s education and awareness creation forum on water resources management organised by the WRC at Techiman, the Bono East Regional capital, saying access to clean and quality remained essential to human health and survival.
The forum was to sensitise the public on the need for them to preserve water bodies for a safer life.
Mr Danso-Ankamah highlighted the benefits of managing and protecting water bodies within the basin including improved livelihoods and aqua-culture, as well as reduced water borne and related diseases, saying “without safe water life can’t go on”.
Mr Yaw Konadu Yiadom, the Assistant officer at the Tano River Basin said water remained a basic life need, essential and indispensable resource for human security.
“It’s likewise at the core of adjustment to environmental changes, serving as the critical connection between the climate system, human society and the environment (UN-water, 2015),” he stated.
He explained that the Tano River Basin area covered approximately 16,060 Kilometre-square where about 14,875 Km² which is 92.6 percent lies in Ghana and about 1,185 Km² about 7.4 percent in Ivory Coast.
My Yiadom urged the public to desist from illegal alluvial mining (mining in water bodies), saying that bad practice remained detrimental not only to the river because but also to human health, and called on farmers to stop farming along the riverbanks too.
Some students of the Techiman Mount Carmel Girls Senior High School (SHS) and Techiman SHS in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, said they were now enlightened and promised to help protect the water bodies by sensitising their colleagues to desist from the practice of throwing rubbish in rivers and streams.
GNA