Editorial: Illegal structures in catchment area of Barekese Dam must be pulled down 

One of the basic things mankind needs for survival is water. No human being can survive on this Planet Earth without water. Our forefathers even though did not receive any western education as we have today, saw the importance of water and, therefore, kept the water bodies safe.

In fact, sources of rivers and their banks were never cleared for farming activities because they wanted to preserve the water from drying up. Unfortunately, now that we claim to  have received western education and can better explain the importance of water, we are rather destroying the water bodies for our parochial interest.  People are not thinking about the effect of their actions on the larger population.

A story we have carried elsewhere in the paper today, indicates that some unscrupulous people have invaded the forest reserve surrounding the Ofin River, where the Barekese Dam has been built and serving as one of the main sources of water supply to the Kumasi metropolis and destroying it.

According to the story, whilst some of these people are clearing the forest and planting cocoa trees, others are also constructing residential buildings in the catchment area of the Barekese Dam.

Concerned Youth of Amoaman in the Nwabiagya North District of Ashanti region, who are not happy with the development, have appealed to the AsanteheneOtumfuoOsei Tutu II to intervene and stop encroachers from encroaching on the forest to save the Barekese Dam.

It is instructive to note that the Barekese Dam is not the only dam suffering from encroachment. In fact, the nearby Owabi Dam, which also supplies water to the Kumasi metropolis, is suffering from the same problem of encroachment.

In 1997 or thereabout, the then Ashanti Regional Minister, Daniel Ohene Agyekum, was compelled to pull down hundreds of housing units in the catchment area of the Owabi Dam. He was determined to pull down all the houses that had illegally been built in the catchment area of the dam, but a court order forced him to suspend the operation.

Though Daniel OheneAgyekum’s drastic action was taken over twenty years ago, the ramifications it had on the finances of those whose buildings were pulled down should have served as enough warning to those who are still encroaching on the forest surrounding the dams, but alas they have learnt no lesson.

The Chronicle therefore, suggests to Ghana Water Company, Ministry of Water Resources, Ashanti Regional Minister and Otumfuo Asantehene to adopt the same strategy used by OheneAgyekum some years back and pull down all the structures that have illegally been built in the catchment area of the Barekese Dam.

Because of lack of adequate water bodies, the Gulf States, as we write this piece, harvest sea water and distil it for human consumption.

Fortunately for us, we are blessed with so many water bodies, but we don’t seem to appreciate them. The big question is?Have we got the resources to also distil sea water and pipe it all the way to Kumasi and beyond, should we succeed in destroying the water bodies?

If the authorities will agree with us that our economy cannot afford such a huge project, then we all have the collective responsibility in ensuring that the Owabi, Barekese and other dams in the country are well protected.

Should the authorities fail to crack the whipon the encroachers, this problem of invading lands surrounding our water dams will continue to be with us. Action must, therefore, be taken now!

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