Abuakwa South MP Cries for Decisive Action as Galamsey Leaves Constituents Without Clean Water
The Member of Parliament for Abuakwa South Constituency, Dr Kingsley Agyemang, has pleaded for a concerted and decisive action from the relevant state institutions and stakeholders to clamp down on illegal mining as his constituents bear the brunt.
He wants the Police, the Judiciary, and the Environmental Protection Agencies, to act decisively and without fear or favour.
“The law must bite, and it must bite hard. Those who profit from the destruction of our environment, whether local or foreign, must be made to face the full rigours of the law,” he wrote in a statement.
It comes as his constituents suffer from the ravages of illegal mining.
He recounted how the Ghana Water Company Limited has, for over three months, been unable to operate the Kyebi Water Treatment Plant that supplies potable water to Kyebi and the entire Municipality as a result of the heavy pollution of the Birim River, which now has a turbidity of 64,000 NTU, making it untreatable and unsafe for human use.
“This grim reality means that thousands of my constituents have been left without clean water for over three months. And when water is life, the absence of it is the absence of life itself. Abuakwa South, the land of our birth and hope, now gasps for breath because a few individuals have chosen greed over the collective good.”
He observes that the impact of galamsey goes beyond our rivers. It is poisoning farms, crippling cocoa production, weakening health systems, and robbing children of their education.
“When our rivers are dead, our farms unproductive, and our schools empty, we lose not only our livelihood but also our future.”
He used the occasion to call upon all traditional leaders, youth groups, opinion leaders, churches, and citizens of good conscience to join hands in this fight.
He affirmed,”This is not a political battle. It is a moral and existential one. We are fighting for our survival, for our children, and for generations yet unborn.”
Story by Hajara Fuseini
Click to read more: https://opemsuo.com/author/hajara-fuseini/
