Countries such as South Korea, Japan, Greece, Mexico, and Croatia are struggling to control the high influx of tourists flooding their countries because of the environmental degradation and the negative impact it has on their ecosystems. It’s sad to note that we in Ghana, especially those of us living along the banks of the Volta River, joined hands with the Chinese to destroy our marine life.
It’s true that the tourists mentioned in these countries bring in the much-needed foreign exchange. But these countries realised that protecting their environments for future generations outweighs the amount of money the tourists bring in. What about us in Ghana? What are we doing to protect our environment, such as preventing sand winning in the Volta River? This is an environmental hazard affecting both humans and our marine ecosystem alike. As concerned citizens, we should also be wary of the effects sand winning has on those of us living in the river’s catchment areas.
These are loud and ear-piercing noises emanating from old and dilapidated machines being used in pumping sand from under the river. For instance, the pristine and serene environment of the people of Adidokpoe, Vome, Gbagbavuinu, and surrounding communities was shattered due to the high level of noise that we have to endure every day.
Other effects include pollution of the Volta River due to fuels and lubricants, which drip freely into the river. These lubricants contaminate drinking water for communities along the river. Furthermore, there’s destruction of aquatic life and emergence of death traps at the river shore as a result of the deep and fast-moving currents, which pose a danger for leisure activities such as swimming.
It’s sad to note that many people, including school children, have drowned swimming at the shores of the river. Many other negative impacts of sand winning in the river are innumerable.
Perhaps the more damaging effect of these destructive actions for money-making is the plying of heavy-duty trucks, which convey sand dripping with water from the sand winning towns to the cities. The fragile roads in and around Battor and Aveyime near my village, all the way to Sege, have been destroyed, leaving behind huge potholes.
I have some advice for people winning sand in the Volta River, including the Chinese. Since customers craving river sand are in Accra and Tema, it’s prudent they win sand from the sea and sell it directly to their customers in the metropolis. They would save transport costs and maximise profit. I think this option is more economical than driving far away from the Volta River.
The early Portuguese and Danes built castles and forts along the shores of Ghana far back in the 1400s. They didn’t win sand from the nearby rivers. They used sand from the sea to build these historic buildings, which are still standing today. This means that sea sand is good for construction.
Therefore, people winning sand from Akuse, through Aveyime, Battor, all the way to Ada should leave the Volta River.
English club Everton recently constructed a brand-new stadium, Hill Dickinson Stadium, using sand dredged from the bottom of Liverpool Bay and the Irish Sea. This method involved pumping 400,000–500,000 cubic meters of fluidised sand through a pipeline directly into the dock. (Source: Google) The engineers did not win sand from the nearby Mersey River in Liverpool to build the stadium. The English EPA would never permit them to do so.
It’s a national concern in Ghana when those with little regard for our environment, digging for gold, polluted many rivers in the forest regions. This environmental degradation is fresh in our minds. My question is: what is our EPA doing to stop sand winning in the Volta River? I believe nothing is being done, as more machines continue to be mounted along the river.
Critics who engage in this work in esoteric pursuits would argue that sand winning in the Volta River brings revenue and jobs. How much revenue does this damaging environmental activity bring to the authorities, and how many people are employed? Do these little benefits and destructions outweigh the environmental costs?
There’s a connection here, isn’t there? If Japan and Korea could limit the influx of tourists into their countries to protect their environment, despite the millions of dollars tourists bring in annually, then our EPA has no excuse for granting licenses to locals and Chinese nationals to continue destroying aquatic life cycles and polluting drinking water when there are other areas like the open sea to win sand, other than in the Volta River.
Let us preserve our natural resources for our children and generations yet unborn. The time to act is NOW! Let’s help save the Volta River.
BY EX WO1 ADOVOR
CHARLES
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