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Some rivers in Ghana have fallen victim to certain human activities such as alluvial gold mining, a practice which renders rivers as white elephants. Some of the rivers which hitherto flourished as far as fishing is concerned, have now become veritable factory yards, seeing locally made dredging boats known as �totototo� exploiting their content. �Totototo� is the vessel used by the alluvial gold miners in the river bodies. After our interaction with the manufacturers, it was obvious that business was on the low side because the police and other security agencies had been a pain in the neck of their clients; the galamsey operators. It is worthy of note their optimism about a business boom after a �short while�. They told us, from their experience, security agencies would get tired soon. The �totototo� is assembled using wood, metals, water hose, empty tanks and a China-made engine, Chanfa, which powers the vessel to move and pump gravels up from under the river, bringing up the gold. Sources of drinking water are being polluted by chemicals and mud. The extent of destruction caused to these water bodies by galamsey activities is mind boggling and seems everlasting. Operators do not agree that they are causing any harm to the water, with a blunt disregard for the hundreds of people who depend on this water to live. Hogbe, a spokesman for the galamseyers at Appiah Nkwanta, states; �We are not destroying the water, it is only that what we want is under the water, so we have to use every ways and means, since it also means our survival because the government has not provided jobs for us� Health Implications The mercury used in these rivers accumulates in the fish, which, when consumed, causes mercury poisoning in humans. This can result in nervous-system disorders, birth defects or even death. Medical Superintendent at the Achimota Hospital, Dr Mark Aglobitse, who has also been a mine doctor for 10 years, says another dangerous effect of consuming such contaminated fish is kidney damage. He further stated that lead in water can increase blood pressure in adults. He said the chemical could cross the placenta which had a great possibility of causing miscarriages, still births and neurological damages. Beyond health, these will adversely affect the attainment of the UN Millennium Development Goal 4 on reducing child mortality. Dr Agblobitse explains that the physical manifestations include frequent dizziness and tiredness. Implications for portable water production and tariffs The pollution has greatly affected water supply in the Kibi area as the Ghana Water Company Limited struggles to treat the polluted water at a high cost. The treatment plant suffers a possible shutdown as explained by Alex Koranteng, Kibi Sub District Head of the Ghana Water Company Limited. Residents in Kibi bitterly complain about the pollution which has taken their pride away. They say, they once boasted drinking directly from the Birim; now, they depend on sachet water. As the popular saying goes in Kibi �Akyemkwaa a onom Birim, Akyemkwaa a onom pure water,� literary meaning; �The Akyem royal who drinks from the Birim River� has now become the Akyem royal who drinks sachet water.� Fetch a bottle of water in Kibi from the Birim River, allow it to settle for a while and it becomes a dirt-filled water, described by residents as good for nothing. In a few months, the whole of Sekondi-Takoradi may be out of water supply as the Daboase treatment plant has become too silted to take in water for treatment. Water treatment has become expensive. The cost borne by the Ghana Water Company Limited is subsequently shifted to the customer. Experts say River Pra is on its way to extinction. This means it is becoming increasingly difficult to even get treatable water. Officials at the Daboase treatment plant said the cost of water treatment kept rising. Another obvious reality is the transfer of the cost by the Ghana Water Company Limited to consumers. The harsh reality is that in about three years, if nothing is done about the menace, Ghanaians may be paying higher costs to get potable water in their homes. Economic Implications The Pra River and its tributaries flow through about 40 districts in four regions; that is, Ashanti, Eastern, Central and Western regions. Over 1,660 towns are situated along the banks. All of these towns have their drinking water from the River Pra and its tributaries. The lives of inhabitants of these towns are in danger, as the basin is completely destroyed by galamseyers. In the Eastern Region, the source of the Birim River is clean, but downstream, it has been diverted and heavily polluted. The reality is these polluted rivers can no longer support fish and other aquatic lives. For the three days we spent on the water of Twifo Praso, only one daring fisherman was on the river. The fisherman, Ben, said for the past ten years, fishing had been terrible, compared to the times when the Pra River was clean. Ben lamented the loss of fishes which had deprived fishers like him of their livelihoods. The other side of the debate is that youth in the country are often encouraged to find job avenues and be entrepreneurs, that is, these alluvial gold miners believe they are doing so well, even though their activities are illegal. Hogbe, one of the galamsey operators, told us they would rather their work was regulated and taxed to ensure the right thing was done in their kind of business, rather than attempts to clamp down on them. They argue, proceeds from their trade add up to the national economy. At Appiah Nkwanta, owners of the 200 �water destroyers� we found in the river, told us, they paid GH�100 to landowners each week. This money goes to individuals, and the state loses out on such revenue being generated all across the county. Social Implications What would have been financial empowerment for women is flawed by illegality. At Kyebi Apapam, right beneath the source of the Birim River, these women and children say they make ends meet by engaging in the galamsey, trade known locally as �kolikoli�. The women foresee social vices, including prostitution, if this job is taken away from them. In mining communities, many schoolchildren are enticed by the monetary gains of galamsey early in life. They have no motivation to be formally educated; not when there is money to be made in their backyards. School dropout rates keep soaring in these areas. Thirteen-year old Owusu is excited about making GH�7.00 daily. He is able to feed himself daily, plus the luxury, he says, of munching on fried eggs each night. In the 2013 budget, Ghana�s finance minister stated a reduction in cocoa production. It is neither due to pest nor diseases. The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Inussah Fuseini, has stated that �lands at the cocoa-producing areas are being destroyed by the galamseyers, these are illegal activities where the government derives absolutely nothing from.� Joseph Quarm, an anti-galamsey activist, adds that the loss of these farmlands are to blame for the inability of the country to meet its cocoa target for last year. He says the government has not been truthful in this regard. �They said people had been smuggling the cocoa out of the country. It is not true, they must come and tell us the truth� The Water Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research evaluated concentrations of trace metals in drinking water sources in some of the heavily polluted communities. Their work revealed that 33 per cent of boreholes and 58 per cent of waters in these mining communities exceeded WHO guidelines. Dr Anthony Duah, a Research Scientist. laments that the situation is worse than they had thought before the research. The choice is for Ghanaians to make. Gold or Water? This is a question we posed to people. We found a dicey balance. Aborokyire, a middle-aged woman says she prefers gold to water because gold makes her place of residence lively and business booms. Another lady, Asantewaa, told us that she also preferred gold to water, as she could afford sachet water every day. Nyam, a teacher, however, thinks those opting for gold over water are looking out for their own selfish gains; an attribute he says does not reflect the real psyche of society. Conclusion Will galamsey ever stop? That is the big question. In answering this big question, and as the tussle between galamsey operatives and state institutions ensue, perhaps it�s about time the individual Ghanaian stood up for the water bodies and time for galamseyers to wear their conscience caps. Legal operatives in the industry advocate that one of the sure ways of preventing illegal mining is to provide or help to provide alternative sources of income. Another school of thought, which some of the illegal miners are themselves championing, is some kind of institutionalised regulation so that their activities can be monitored and even taxed. Beyond that, the practice of alluvial gold mining in river bodies may never stop, as institutions mandated to enforce the mining laws seem overwhelmed with the current situation. The hard question is whether or not the institutions are working at all and what can each Ghanaian in their small ways do to save the situation? It is not enough to be just concerned. The people of Ghana must speak; the people of Ghana must act and institutions funded by the taxpayer must work. No matter how far you may be from these water bodies, the activities of the alluvial gold miners can and will affect you and your family in the long run. It will catch up with you someday. For now, imagine a Ghana without water; a destroyed ecosystem and an over-chemicalised soil on which crops cannot grow. We are all at risk. That is why we must act now.