A senior citizen in Bibiani and former Town Council Officer, Elder KOFI ABEDNEGO, has called on the government led by President Mahama, to impose a complete ban on importation of chanfan machines in Ghana to curb the impact of illegal mining on the country’s water bodies.
In an interview with AkuapemHann, he emphasized that the government should confiscate those already on sale in the country because without changfans, the illegal miners cannot pollute water bodies.
According to him, the chemicals used for the galamsey activities harm public health with some babies born in galamsey-prone areas suffering from deformities.
It is uneasy to access clean drinking water these days, therefore, government should hearken and consider taking such a decisive step to restore the purity of Ghana’s water bodies, he reiterated.
As an experienced former Town Council Officer, Mr Abednego advocated for reintroduction of Town Council Officers previously known as ‘Tankas’, which were effective in maintaining cleanliness in the olden days highlighting that health issues like malaria were less prevalent then due to better sanitation practices as compared to this era.
The country is engulfed with filth, choked gutters and polythene bags all over contributing to mosquito breeding. He urged the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to conduct intermittent patrols in communities and households to enforce cleanliness standards.
Story by: AKUAPEM-HANN KWAME OMONO ASAMOAH
