Techiman: A task force set up by the Techiman Traditional Council in the Bono East Region has warned residents against polluting the Tano Sacred River. Mr Prince Yaw Duah, the leader of the taskforce working to safeguard the environment, gave the warning in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) after the taskforce toured the river course at Techiman.
According to Ghana News Agency, Mr Duah stated that as a major source of potable water, the traditional council was implementing measures to protect the sacred river. He cautioned that anyone found polluting the river would face sanctions. "We are now patrolling the river course to stem activities causing harm to the river," he stated.
Nana Kwame Kwane, the Stool Chief of the Techiman Traditional Council area, poured libation and performed rituals to avert the potential anger of the river deity due to the level of pollution. He mentioned that, according to history, the river deity, believed to be a crocodile, had played a crucial role in sustaining the prevailing peace of the area.
In another interview, Mr Emmanuel Lignule, the Bono East Regional Director of the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), commended the taskforce for its vision to protect the river and other water bodies, as well as helping to sustain the environment. He noted that improving water and sanitation, along with environmental sustainability, would propel the nation to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Mr Lignule urged the nation to enhance access to clean water, toilet, and sanitation facilities, and to strengthen ecosystem protection. During the visit, the GNA noticed that the sacred Tano River had turned into a waste dumping site, threatening aquatic creatures, as parts of the river course were choked with waste and plastic materials.
The appalling situation endangers the habitat and existence of the sacred crocodiles and fishes, which are highly revered and regarded as the totems and ancestral spirits of the chiefs and people of the Techiman Traditional Area.