“There Is Now No Difference Between ‘Thick Milo Tea’ And Birim River” – Nana Gyasi

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Despite numerous efforts by the Akufo-Addo led NPP government to protect our water bodies from being polluted by the mining activities in the country after assuming office in 2017, the fight, to me is a total waste as the pollution keeps escalating.

The ‘Almighty’ Birim river, which from time immemorial served as the major source of water in the eastern region particularly in the Akyem lands is no difference.

As political parties tried to play politics about it, I decided to have a real proof of the story so i visited a couple of Birim River outlets in Bunso, Nsutam, Kade, Kyebi etc and lo and behold, a thick milo tea is even lighter than the turbidity of Birim river.

However, in an interview with the public relations officer of the Ghana Water Company Limited, Kwadwo Daase on the current state of the Birim river, he admitted that the Birim river at Bunso, Nsutam, Kade are very much polluted just as claimed but said that of Kyebi is not as such.

But i differ, Birim is beyond pollution by the mining activities.

Also in an interview with the indegenes, they revealed that Birim has never been clean as been portrayed by many after galamsey destroyed the source of drinking water. They now tend to the use of sachet water.

It would be recalled that in May 2017, the President of the republic of Ghana, H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo boldly called to rest on the illegal mining activities, popularly known as Galamsey. He instituted operation Vanguard and Galamstop under the auspices of the inter ministerial commitee on small scale mining.

The initiative which largely applauded by many Ghanaians was sought to sanitize our mining activities and also bring back the clearer and potable rivers we used to have in the country.

The efforts, to me yielded nothing and after the committee squandering a huge sums of budgets on top of alleged bribes taken from the miners, Birim river cannot even be used for irrigation, let alone quenching thirst.

Now the fight against galamsey has been a total waste of money, resources and time. Institutions that need to work are now in bed with illegal miners. What then should we expect?

By: Radio1News|Ghana|Obido Nana Gyasi