They warned that illegal mining and other human activities were threatening public health, food production and livelihoods, with about 60 per cent of the country’s water bodies reported to be polluted.

The scientists made the call on Tuesday at the CSIR-Water Research Institute’s (WRI) Mid-Year Review 2026 in Accra.

The three-day event, from August 11 to 13, is on the theme: “Water-Environment-Food-Health Nexus: Building Resilience for the Future.”

The review brings together scientists and researchers to examine research findings and interventions addressing interconnected challenges involving water, the environment, food and health.

Presenting a paper titled “Can Ghana Heal Her Waters? Towards Sustainable Remediation of Polluted Water Bodies,” Dr Franklin Obiri-Nyarko, a Research Scientist at the WRI’s Groundwater and Geoscience Division, said illegal mining, or galamsey, was a major driver of water pollution.

He said agriculture, industrial activities, households and other human activities also contributed to the pollution.

Dr Obiri-Nyarko said contaminants detected in polluted water bodies included suspended sediments and toxic substances such as mercury, lead, cadmium, arsenic, cyanide and manganese.

He warned that prolonged exposure to such contaminants could contribute to neurological damage, kidney and respiratory problems, developmental disorders and cancers, particularly among vulnerable groups.

The Research Scientist said pollution also threatened food security because contaminated water used for irrigation could transfer harmful substances into crops consumed by humans.

Dr Obiri-Nyarko said Ghana could not sustainably restore polluted water bodies by treating the water alone, stressing the need to address the sources of pollution.

He proposed a five-pronged approach involving reducing pollution at its source, preventing the spread of contaminants, treating polluted water with complementary technologies, restoring affected ecosystems and undertaking continuous monitoring and adaptive management.

Dr Obiri-Nyarko cautioned against relying on a single remediation technology, saying an intervention that removed one contaminant could potentially introduce another environmental risk.

He cited the recovery of the River Thames in the United Kingdom as an example of how long-term investment, regulation, enforcement, wastewater treatment and pollution control could restore severely polluted water bodies.

He called for stronger enforcement of environmental and mining laws, alternative livelihoods for illegal miners, investment in local remediation technologies and continuous monitoring of water quality.

Mrs Zita Abuntori, a Research Scientist at the WRI’s Tamale Station, presented findings from a study assessing water quality along the Volta River system from northern Ghana to Ada.

She said the study found evidence of mining-related impacts on tributaries feeding into the White Volta and Black Volta systems.

Mrs Abuntori said runoff from mining areas entered tributaries and eventually flowed into the main river systems, while activities in neighbouring riparian countries, including Burkina Faso and Côte d’Ivoire, also had implications for Ghana’s water resources.

She said although pH levels were generally within acceptable drinking-water limits, some areas recorded high turbidity, while significant levels of heavy-metal contaminants were detected in tributaries directly affected by mining.

Mrs Abuntori said some communities reported no noticeable changes in their water because they depended mainly on boreholes and other groundwater sources.

She, however, cautioned that mining activities could also affect groundwater by exposing and mobilising minerals that could subsequently enter underground water systems.

Mrs Abuntori called for stronger transboundary cooperation, improved institutional capacity, sustained enforcement of anti-illegal-mining measures and greater support for institutions responsible for water management and research.

Dr Prosper Bazaanah, who presented the socio-economic component of the Volta River study, said communities along the river system depended heavily on rivers, streams and groundwater for farming, fishing, domestic activities, food preparation and small businesses.

He said residents consistently identified illegal mining as the leading source of water pollution in their communities.

Dr Bazaanah said the degradation of water bodies was forcing communities to increasingly depend on groundwater, while traditional livelihoods such as farming, fishing and trading were gradually giving way to mining.

He said residents reported health problems including skin rashes, diarrhoea, coughing and respiratory complaints, while some communities had observed changes in the colour and odour of river water.

Dr Bazaanah said abandoned mining pits also posed risks to children and animals, while the influx of miners from other countries had compounded some of the social and environmental pressures in affected communities.

He said communities were particularly concerned about their limited involvement in decisions concerning mining concessions and licences.

Dr Bazaanah highlighted the need for genuine alternative livelihood programmes and responsible, regulated mining, rather than relying solely on temporary crackdowns.

He said the lower belt of the Volta River system, particularly downstream of the confluence, remained relatively free from mining-related pollution and should be protected from future degradation.