Debate on illegal mining activities: …majority leader appeals to citizens | Parliament

Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin called for depoliticization of the fight against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.

“I am saddened by what is happening. It is very sad. As a country, we must know when to act in partisan politics and when to act in the national interest,” he said in parliament in Accra on Tuesday.

Mr Afenyo-Markin was responding to his colleagues' concerns over recent reports of illegal mining when he delivered the statement of business to Parliament for the two-day extraordinary sitting that ended on Wednesday.

The MPs' concerns stem from the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) blaming the water crisis in the Central Region on galamsey, which has led to severe pollution of the Pra River.

“About 60 percent of the catchment area is silted by the galamsey, which is affecting the quality of the raw water. We are currently recording an average turbidity of 14,000 NTU instead of the 2,000 NTU required for proper treatment,” the GWCL said in a statement on August 30.

The Majority Leader warned that the country was heading towards a national water crisis in the near future, saying that politicising the fight against this menace, which has led to pollution of water bodies, destruction of fertile lands and deforestation, would only worsen the current situation.

“It may not even take three years for Ghana to start importing water,” warned Afenyo-Markin, former chairman of the GWCL.

To nip the situation in the bud and avoid the unpleasant situation of having to import water or relying on seawater for drinking and other domestic purposes, a national approach is needed, he said.

“I am glad that we are talking about this in Parliament today and we must not be party political. When the effects of galamsey take their toll, it will not be clear who is NDC or NPP. I want to urge all of us to pursue this issue (with a national approach). We (should not continue to) play politics with it.”

Mr Afenyo-Markin said the political class must show leadership and lead the nation in finding lasting solutions rather than being divided and taking undue political advantage of the situation.

“We act as politicians when it comes to national affairs and pretend we know nothing. Let us become more serious as a political class and ensure our relevance. This is a serious matter.”

“As a parliament, we should all take this matter seriously because whatever it is, it will be a burden on the public purse,” he said.

If the threat persists and the country faces the dreaded reality of water shortage, the country would have no choice but to resort to desalination of seawater for domestic consumption, he said, adding that the state could not bear this cost.

He wondered how this could be achieved sustainably given the country's inability to finance the operation of the Teshie desalination project, which serves less than half a million people.

“It is a serious matter, Mr. Speaker. Are we now going to process sea water into drinking water? That is very expensive and will cost the nation,” he said.