“Safeguarding rivers is a shared national responsibility,” Dr. Lumor stated. “We must raise awareness about their importance and work together to ensure their protection.”
The Water Resources Commission (WRC) has reiterated its commitment to protecting Ghana’s rivers, calling on all citizens to treat water conservation as a shared national responsibility.
Speaking at Ghana’s maiden commemoration of World Rivers Day in Accra on 30th September 2025, the Head of Policy, Planning, Research, Monitoring and Evaluation (PPRME) at the WRC Dr. Mawuli Lumor revealed that each citizen has lost approximately 400 cubic metres (400,000 litres) of water between 2016 and now, due to pollution and environmental degradation.
He disclosed that the Commission has completed stakeholder consultations on new Buffer Zone and Water Pollution Regulations, which will soon be laid before Parliament. These regulations aim to protect riparian areas, reduce pollution, and intensify the fight against illegal mining (galamsey) through alternative livelihoods and stricter enforcement.
Chief of Atwima Kwanwoma and Board Member of the WRC Nana Amponsah Kwaa IV, echoed the urgent need to address human activities threatening river systems. He identified illegal mining, industrial waste, agrochemical run-off, deforestation, and poor waste disposal as major contributors to pollution.
He warned that Ghana’s future is at risk without urgent action: “Rivers provide drinking water, food, livelihoods, and sustain biodiversity. Their destruction is our destruction.”
Highlighting the pollution of major rivers like the Pra, Densu, Tano, and Ankobra, he called for collaboration among stakeholders to implement proactive measures. Nana Amponsah also revealed that Ghana Water Limited has had to shut down treatment plants due to the extent of pollution, raising public health concerns and chemical treatment costs.
Chairperson of CONIWAS Dr. Beata Awinpoka Akanyani, praised the institutionalization of World Rivers Day in Ghana. She described the initiative as “a bold step in sustainable water governance” but warned that mercury contamination from galamsey endangers health and ecosystems, however urged stronger enforcement and community monitoring.
A senior researcher at Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Deborah Darko, stressed the compounding effects of climate change, pollution, and encroachment. She called for community monitoring and strengthened enforcement.
As part of the event, stakeholders pledged to plant trees along riverbanks to enhance buffer zones and conserve water. Speakers emphasized that World Rivers Day is a call to stewardship, reminding all that water security is national security.
