The Paediatric Society of Ghana has issued a strong appeal to all political parties, urging them to commit to ending illegal small-scale mining, known as galamsey.
The Society's call comes amid increasing concerns about the adverse effects of galamsey on children's health and the environment.
Dr Hilda Mantebea Boye told Bernard Avle in an interview on the Point of View on Channel One TV on Wednesday that the severe health risks posed by galamsey activities, including water contamination and exposure to toxic chemicals, disproportionately affect children.
Among other demands, she stressed that "We want the political parties all of them to commit to stopping this menace now.
Because we are just afraid that in no time we may have to import water into the country." Dr Boye also urged all Ghanaians to join the call to end the menace.
Meanwhile, the Federation of Labour has called on the government to deploy military forces to safeguard the nation's waterbodies and forest reserves from the destructive activities of illegal small-scale mining, known as galamsey.
Kenneth Koomson, Deputy Secretary General of the Ghana Federation of Labour noted that the "Military should be deployed with the full mandate and full authority to police waterbodies, police forest reserves to ensure that they are not encroached, and these lands are not disturbed by the activities of Galamsey.