The Coalition of Non-Governmental Organizations in Water and Sanitation (CONIWAS), has joined Civil Society Organizations and other Ghanaians calling on the government to take immediate action against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey. 'CONIWAS is saddened by the increasing effects of the practice of illegal mining, which has resulted in major rivers like the Pra, Ankobra, Birim and Offin being heavily contaminated with toxic chemicals, posing long-term health risks including neurological disorders, kidney damage, and developmental issues in children.' Delivering the welcome address at the 2024 opening session of the MOLE conference, which is currently ongoing at Ho in the Volta Region, Ms Beata Awinpoka Akanyani, CONIWAS Chairperson, said health experts had indicated that pregnant women and young children were particularly at risk, with mercury exposure potentially causing birth defects and cognitive impairments. She said the contamination also contributed to waterborne diseases, skin ailments, and respiratory conditions. 'Also, the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) reports that pollution from galamsey has drastically increased water treatment costs, disproportionately affecting the poor and vulnerable, which is a worrying situation for us as a sector,' Ms Akanyani added. The chairperson said despite good progress made, the WASH sector continued to face numerous challenges such as water scarcity, water quality, inadequate access to sanitation and hygiene facilities, and the persistent threat of WASH-related diseases that continued to jeopardize the health and well-being of numerous communities. She announced that CONIWAS would soon release a press statement to clearly state their position and therefore called for action by the Government, traditional authorities, the media and all Ghanaians to protect their freshwater bodies, improve the quality supply of potable water and conserve their natural resources. The conference being organized by the CONIWAS is on the general theme: 'Looking Back on S DG 6 Implementation in Ghana: Progress, Challenges, and Way Forward'. The four main thematic subjects are institutional alignments and policies, approaches, strategies, and methods towards the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals 6 (SDG 6) in Ghana. Among the institutions and organizations participating in the five-day MOLE 35 conference are the GAMA/GKMA Sanitation and Water Project, IRC Ghana, World Vision Ghana, and the Media Coalition Against Open Defecation (M-CODe). Master Abdul Yazid Faraj Timtoni Wumbei, the Child Sanitation Diplomat, on his part, said despite all the efforts and achievements in sanitation so far, children still yearned for better approaches and better solutions that would get them closer to where they want to be much faster. He said Ghanaian children looked up to the older generation to guarantee them a future where the cleanliness of their country could be compared with countries in Europe, America, and other admirable parts of the world. Master Wumbei noted that: 'The c leanliness that we so much admired in those countries was planned, implemented and achieved by the people of those countries themselves. Please lead us to get closer to them so that we can also come to complete the journey.' Togbe Tepre Hodo IV, Paramount Chief of Anfoega, and the President of the Volta Region House of chiefs, chaired the ceremony, which was attended by government officials, civil society organizations, academia, private sector, media among others Source: Ghana News Agency