Ban on galamsey wasn't a fiasco – WRC boss

The Executive Secretary of the Water Resources Commission has extolled government for the success chalked so far in the fight against illegal mining activities popularly known as Galamsey. Ben Ampomah says the move really helped in neutralizing the turbidity of water bodies, making them safe for human consumption and other activities. He described the move as bold and prudent since it enhanced the work of Ghana Water Company Limited although chemicals used in purifying drinking water from the water bodies were doubled. The Executive Secretary for Water Resources Commission revealed this in an interview on Onua FM’s Mantam Mpuntuo on Tuesday, rubbishing claims that the ban was a fiasco. Mr Ampomah revealed that the rate at which water bodies were being destroyed could have been worse if government had not placed the ban on ‘Galamsey’. “What I want to say is that whether we like it or not, there were some good results and the ban wasn’t a total failure as speculated or purported by some people,” he said. He, however, indicated that the turbidity of water bodies, which cleared as a result of the ban, has started going bad after the ban was lifted, demanding that miners go by the roadmap designed by the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining. Mr Ampomah also demanded that government ensures that the Committee implements its road map to help maintain the turbidity of the water bodies. He has as well appealed to the general public to consider water bodies as valuable assets for mankind and therefore desist from activities that could destroy them. By Maxwell Otoo|editors.3news.com|Ghana