The Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Cecilia Dapaah has pleaded with the various UN agencies in Ghana to support government to fight galamsey.
According to her despite efforts to improve access to potable water, the galamsey menace is impeding it.
While asking for compliance with the 100-meter buffer along the river banks, Madam Dapaah said the support of the UN agencies will be needed to improve access to water and sanitation to achieve 2030 SDG goal 6.
She was speaking when the UN Resident Coordinator together with its agency heads paid a courtesy call on her in Accra.
In 2017, government placed a ban on illegal mining after it emerged that Ghana may have to import water in the next fifty years if nothing is done about the extent of water pollution due to the practice.
However, the practice has resurfaced with the Ghana Water Company threatening to shut down some treatment plants.
At the meeting with UN country representatives, the Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources Cecilia Dapaah said although access to potable water has increased to about 81% more communities lack clean potable water due to the activities of illegal miners.
The UN country representative Sylvia Lopez-Ekra said the UN is committed to helping Ghana achieve the SDG target for 2030 adding that the focus this year will be on Ghana’s priority areas
Present were reps from the WHO, UNICEF, FAO and UNAIDS.
