Story:News Desk
A Research Scientist at the Groundwater Division of the CSIR-Water Research Institute (CSIR-WRI), Dr Franklin Obiri-Nyarko, has warned that Ghana could be forced to import water if the pollution of its rivers and other water bodies continues unchecked.
Dr Obiri-Nyarko said the situation, driven largely by illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, poses a serious threat to Ghana’s long-term water security and requires urgent intervention.
Speaking on an Accra-based radio station t on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, he said about 60% of Ghana’s individual water bodies were showing signs of contamination, with pollution increasingly affecting the country’s major river basins.
“If care is not taken, in the near future, we are going to import water into our country. And that is very serious,” he cautioned.
He explained that Ghana has three major river systems—the Volta, Southwestern and Coastal basins—which account for about 70%, 22% and 8% of the country’s river systems respectively.
According to him, even the Volta Basin, which was initially believed to have been relatively spared from the pollution affecting other parts of the country, is now experiencing contamination.
“The Southwestern Basin comprises the Bia, Tano, Ankobra, and Pra rivers,” he added.
Dr Obiri-Nyarko stressed that continued pollution of Ghana’s water bodies could have severe consequences for the country’s future, particularly if urgent measures were not taken to halt activities responsible for the degradation.
He said protecting the country’s water resources should therefore be treated as a national priority to safeguard access to safe and sustainable water supplies.
Dr Obiri-Nyarko, however, clarified that the 60% figure refers to the proportion of individual water bodies showing signs of contamination and did not mean that 60% of Ghana’s total water volume had been polluted.
He said the distinction was important in understanding the extent of the pollution and its potential implications for Ghana’s water security.
