Water, the essence of life, faces grave threats in Ghana due to climate change and human-induced pollution from activities such as illegal mining, improper waste disposal and farming near water sources. The Tano River, which takes it source from Techiman, is no exception.
Local government officials and Traditional rulers of the Techiman Municipal Assembly with support from EcoCare Ghana under the European Union-funded Landscapes and Environmental Agility across the Nation (LEAN) project have enacted and passed bye-laws to save the Tano River and conserve its ecosystem.
In a recent stakeholder engagement organized by EcoCare Ghana for traditional rulers and local government officials in the Municipality to deliberate on the implementation of the bye-laws, the Physical Planning Officer of the Assembly, Kwame Asante Agyemang identified key human activities polluting the river: washing, waste dumping, farming, and construction near the river banks. He decried the river’s state as an “eye-sore.”
The Physical Planning Officer, Mr. Agyemang addressing the stakeholders
While other water bodies exist in the municipality, including Aponkonsu, Atweredaa, and Kofroasua, Tano is the primary water source, crucial for communities along its bank. ‘’Plans are underway to deploy a task force to apprehend polluters, with warnings of demolishing unauthorized structures’’, he asserted.
Lawyer Mohamadu Bermah Sulemana, a private legal practitioner engaged to explain the bye-laws stated that the law designates a protected zone (100 feet from the river) barring human activities, including agriculture and settlement construction. Pumping water from the river during dry spells is also restricted.
Omanhene of Techiman Hansua, Nana Apenten Fosu II voiced his concerns over the river’s deterioration ‘’if Tano should dry up, it’s impact will be enormous to our lives and tradition. Crocodiles found in the Tano are sacred to us but threatened with extinction’’. He called on the Assembly to assist Nananom with all the power they wield to sensitize the public on the bye-laws to protect the Tano River for posterity.
Omanhene of Hansua Techiman, Nana Apenten Fosu II
The Municipal Director of the Environmental Protection Agency, Mr. Anthony Duah highlighted Tano’s ecological importance and the adverse effects of deforestation on climate and local communities. He emphasized the bye-laws ‘’align with the agency’s goal of conserving biodiversity and supporting climate change mitigation and adaptation’’.
The Project Officer for EcoCare Ghana, Mr. Enock Okyere called for collaboration between the traditional rulers and local government officials of the Assembly in enforcing the bye-laws. He urged strict penalties for offenders to deter future violations.
Mr. Okyere reaffirmed EcoCare Ghana’s commitment to supporting Techiman Municipal Assembly and the transition landscape in climate mitigation, resilience-building, and biodiversity conservation for the benefit of all.
Written by: Nancy Owusua Acquah.
