FRIENDS of Rivers and Water Bodies (FRWB), an environmental Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), has urged Ghanaians to be patriotic and initiate a conscious and concerted approach towards the conservation and protection of the country’s rivers and water bodies.

That, it maintained, was the only effective way to halt the persistent unbridled destruction of rivers, prevent a possible catastrophic shortage of water and safeguard the continued survival of the current and future generations.

In a statement issued at the week-end in connection with the World Water Day celebration, the NGO pointed out that efforts by the government, some environmental and Civil Society organizations to help stem the tide were not yielding the desired results because the perpetrators “are simply bent on pursuing their parochial interests and throwing the national interest onto the back burner.”

Signed by its Founder and President, Reverend Nana Dwomoh Sarpong, FRWB noted that the mad craze for money through illegal gold mining was fueling the destruction of the country’s major rivers and water bodies.

It said “These treasure hunters are seized by the quest for money to the extent that even rivers serving as sources of drinking water for millions of communities and forest reserves are not being spared.”

“Is it any wonder that we now have traces of toxic chemicals including mercury and cyanide used in illegal mining ending up not only in rivers and aquatic life but also seeping into arable lands to contaminate food and cash crops with the obvious health complications?”, it asked.

Arguing that mining could be safely undertaken without destroying rivers and water bodies, FRWB recalled that in the past illegal mining labelled ‘galamsey’ was undertaken without causing any destruction to rivers and water bodies.

The current spectacle of destruction of rivers, arable lands and pristine forests on the altar of illegal mining by a selfish few constitutes a veiled desire to hold the greater majority of Ghanaians to ransom and a deliberate attempt to subject them to utter hardships, it declared.

“Our rivers and water bodies, which have since time immemorial given us life, are more important and essential than gold which is exhaustible. We therefore owe it a duty to take bold and decisive actions to protect and conserve the water bodies at all cost”, the NGO added.

The NGO, since its establishment in 1989, has been spearheading a nationwide crusade against environmental degradation and undertaking tree planting activities along the banks and shores of a number of rivers and water bodies across the country.