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The Western Regional Minister, Mr Paul Evans Aidoo, has deplored the current trend of 'galamsey' activities in the region, warning that the Regional Security Council will deal with it without fear or favour. He said due to the selfish interest of few members of society, the Pra and Ankobra rivers as well as other water bodies in the country, which serve as sources of water for thousands across the country, had been heavily polluted by the activities of illegal gold miners popularly known as �Galamsey�. Mr Aidoo was speaking at the opening ceremony of the retreat of Western Regional House of Chiefs at Benyin in the Jomoro Districts on the theme,� The Role Of Traditional Rulers In Local Development called for concerted effort to curb the menace.� He cautioned the illegal miners against thinking that the task force had gone to sleep after the initial clampdown on their activities, saying that the last operation was not an event but a continuous effort to ensure that the environment was protected. We are all guilty The minster said Ghanians had a responsibility to safeguard water bodies in the region and the nation as a whole from being further polluted and destroyed. �As community leaders and individuals we are all guilty of how we take our natural resources for granted and recklessly destroy and pollute these indispensable resources.� The dumping of rubbish into streams and rivers he indicated that even though wrong had become the acceptable norm in, cities, towns and villages and that such negative developments was causing pollution of rivers and streams, the ocean and the environment. Stringent measures The minister called for stringent measures, which he said would require the support of all, to discourage negative practices, such as clearing and farming along river catchment areas, mining in rivers and dumping of waste into rivers. He said even though the current situation was awful and unfortunate, all stakeholders should join the crusade to reverse the trend in order to ensure sustainability and to guarantee intergenerational legacy for the future. �As key Stakeholders, I will entreat all our traditional leaders to be fully involved in our efforts to help change the attitudes of our citizens to safeguard our water resources and environment, as they interact with their people to preach against these bad practices. �We need to be aware that the destruction of the catchment area and pollution of these water resources not only increase the cost of treatment and consequently increased tariffs on water but also directly affect our health and threatens our future as a country,� he said. Our chiefs Mr Aidoo said the contribution of Nananom in local development could not be overlooked since the country�s traditional system saw chiefs as the embodiment of their subjects. �Religiously and spiritually our Chiefs do assume special power over their people. In order to protect the sanctity of the Institution, the Fourth Republic Constitution of 1992 has insulated Nananom from frontline politics, thus making them more development oriented� he said. According to him, for development in the local communities to be better than it is today, there was the need for greater collaboration through attitudinal change and support from the traditional rulers to pursue agenda that would unite all and ensure peace among the people. �This will enable us to develop; since we cannot develop in the midst of anarchy and divisiveness.� WR as a business entity �As we yearn for economic transformation and growth in the next decades, let us consider Western Region as a business entity. We must work as a team to harness all the potentials, which accrue to the region. We need to build consensus, capacity, develop skills and creativity of our people,� he said. In this regard, the Regional Co-ordinating Council and the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), the minister said, would continue to cooperate with Nananom in the region to ensure that they were at abreast with government policies and the development agendas. �I must therefore ask MMDAs in the region to ensure that together there is transparency, accountability, efficient and effective use of resources by our local functionaries within the region,� he added. Developments Mr Aidoo went on to add that the government had embarked on myriad of development projects, including various sea defence projects at Aboadze, Ngyiresia, New Takoradi, Nkotonmpo; the Takoradi Port Expansion Project; On-going cocoa spraying exercise to increase yield; Gas Processing Plant at Atuabo; and on-going Western Railway Rehabilitation Works. These projects, he said, would help improve the living conditions of the people of the region. He said the government would also ensure that the reconstruction of roads such as Tarkwa-Ayanfuri, Apimanin-Elubo (110Km), Enchi-Asankrangwa (56Km) and others in the metropolis were completed to speed development.