March 14th every year marks International Day of Action for Rivers. Thousands of people around the world lift their voices to celebrate the world’s rivers and deepen calls for Protection of Rivers under siege of Pollution. The International Day of Action for Rivers is a day review the state of river bodies across the world to demonstrate and demand improvements in the policies and practices of decision makers .
Celebration of the Day also calls for awareness creation about threats facing rivers and deliberate on ways to protect rivers from all forms of destructive activities and call for action for reclamation of watershed and restoration of dying river bodies and demand equitable management of rivers.
The International Day of Action For Rivers was adopted by participants of the first International Meeting of People Affected by Dams, March 1997 in Curitiba Brazil. Representatives from 20 countries decided that the International Day of Action would take place on March 14 – Brazil’s Day of Action Against Large Dams.
Ghana is endowed with several fresh water bodies such as Bia River, Tano River,Nini River ,Ankobra River, Pra River,Ofin River,Birim River, Anum River,Ayensu River,and Densu River, making up the Prah river system. The Volta river system is made up of,Volta River,Todzie River,Lake Volta,Afram River,Oti River, Mo River, Atakora River, Sene River , Daka River, Pru River, Black Volta (Mouhoun River), Tain River, White Volta (Nakambé),Kulpawn River,Sisili River, Red Volta (Nazinon)
Despite these naturally endowed river bodies ,Most Ghanaians are struggling to get portable drinking water due to Pollution of these rivers by illegal Mining and other anthropocentric activities.
The worse Polluted Rivers in Ghana are the Birim River,Prah,Densu,Ayensu,Ofin,River Ankobra,Pru,and Sene.These rivers which serve millions of residents have been polluted by illegal mining activities which inundate fresh water with mercury and other harmful pollutants raising the turbidity of the affected rivers to unprecedented record high compelling the Ghana water Company limited to shut down Water treatment plants in some communities.
It is therefore worrying that,a Day like this has not been given prominence in Ghana for the entire Country to deliberate for permanent solutions on rampant pollution of rivers which researches say is a looming national water catastrophe.