Set up a fund to treat water bodies destroyed by galamsey – Ansah Opoku to government
Member of Parliament for Mpraeso, Davis Ansah Opoku, is urging the government to establish a fund solely dedicated to tackle the impact illegal mining has had on water bodies.
He suggests that the revenue generated from the fund should be directed towards treating water bodies affected by illegal mining activities.
According to Mr Ansah Opoku, the government currently lacks the financial capacity to tackle the problem from the already overstretched resources.
He emphasised the importance of establishing the water fund as part of the government’s commitment towards addressing environmental challenges to safeguard communities from natural disasters.
The Vice Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament added that a water guard must be established to prevent further destruction to water bodies.
“Mr Speaker, everybody is talking about ‘galamsey’ and how it has destroyed our water bodies. There’s the need for a fund to be set aside so that monies deposited in this fund will be used to repair destroyed rivers, construct new water sources for our people, and ensure that the Ghanaian is assured of good drinking water,” Davis Opoku Ansah suggested.
Meanwhile, Minority MPs on the Lands and Forestry Committee of Parliament have criticized the government over its alleged failure to account for funds disbursed towards the fight against illegal mining in the 2024 budget.
The group claims that $30 million was allocated quarterly to the defunct inter-ministerial task force against illegal mining for three years, and over GH¢5 million was spent on the government’s engagements with traditional leaders and security agencies on combating the ‘galamsey’ menace.
Addressing the media, a Deputy Ranking Member on the Lands and Forestry Committee, Alhassan Suhuyini, emphasised the need for accountability in the fight against ‘galamsey,’ questioning the absence of any mention of the issue in the budget statement despite significant expenditures.
“That should tell you how much money has gone down the drain; they blew GH¢5.4 million just to interact on ‘galamsey.’ The question is, to what end? What are the benefits that we have from all of these?” Alhassan Suhuyini asked.
Source: Ghana News
