According to a new UNDP Ghana report, rising sea levels, deforestation, increasing heat stress, and other factors pose severe threats for the country’s future.
Ghana is experiencing decreased crop yields with little water due to deforestation, low rainfall, and inadequate water harvesting.
With expected population growth and planned economic growth, demands on water for drinking, sanitation, hydropower, and both rain-fed and irrigated agriculture will come under increasing threat. Ghana may become water-stressed by 2025.
The Policy Brief points to the destructive and dangerous threats irresponsible mining pose to the country.
Mineral extraction and recovery are among the most hazardous and polluting sectors. A significant majority of the operations are illegal and unregulated. Mercury contamination of air, water and land is highest in communities and ecosystems near galamsey sites.
Galamsey is disrupting aquatic ecosystems. It diverts or inhibits river flows, elevates flood risk, and increases sediment loading and heavy metal contamination in significant rivers. Galamsey has caused damage to the extent that the water company has had to discontinue water treatment due to the excessive pollution levels.
Due to rapid urbanization, more than 50% of the residents in the Greater Accra Region, for instance, lack a reliable household water source, often relying on unsafe water from vendors. A lack of safe drinking water and sanitation results in frequent and sometimes deadly water-borne illnesses.
