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Police investigators have been urged to ensure the enforcement of laws on water management in the country to ensure compliance. According to the Water Resources Commission (WRC), the protection and management of water resources in the country have been difficult due to the low rate of prosecution of persons who breach the laws on water. Law enforcement At a day�s workshop for investigators of the Ghana Police Service organised by the WRC, the legal officer of the Commission, Mrs Bernadette Adjei, said law enforcers had a critical role to play in the enforcement and monitoring of environmental violations by individuals, companies and agencies who use water. She explained that it was important for companies who drilled dams and boreholes for industrial use to obtain permits in accordance with the Legislative Instrument (LI) 1692 (2001). Companies that need permits to extract water for industrial use include mining companies and mineral water producers. �Individuals who drill boreholes in their houses for domestic use do not need to obtain permit before doing so but would have to register with the district assemblies,� she said. High Iron in ground water A monitoring officer of the Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) said though water had many benefits, its quality and quantity was very essential. He explained that companies that drilled boreholes for individuals for domestic and commercial use were required by law to ensure the inclusion of a hydrologist and experts to examine the geological formation of the soil before the drilling. �A sample of the water must also be taken to the Water Research Institute for testing.� Water pollution The Director of the Water Research Institute, Dr Joseph A. Ampofo, in a welcome address, said Ghana had enough water resources that would sustain the country until 2050 and probably beyond. Currently, he said, the major challenge facing the country was water pollution by users such as illegal miners and other activities by communities close to water bodies. He, therefore, urged the participants to support the Water Resources Commission in the enforcement and compliance of laws to protect water bodies. Objectives of training The Public Relations Officer of the WRC, Mrs Adwoa Dako, said the aim of the workshop was to empower the investigators to hold offenders who operate in contravention of the law to account. �By our mandate we have to issue permits. People who violate the law by operating without water use licences must be prosecuted to deter others and ensure protection of water resources,� Mrs Dako said. She said the workshop was the first of a series of training programmes for police investigators throughout the country. By the end of the series, 300 detectives representing 10 from each region would have benefited from the training.