Dr. John Kingsley Krugu, former Chief Executive Officer of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has criticized the Blue Water Guards Initiative, calling it redundant and unnecessary.
In a recent interview, he argued that the initiative duplicates efforts already being carried out by existing institutions responsible for protecting the nation’s water bodies.
Dr. Krugu explained that during the previous administration, individuals were trained as Water Guards to tackle illegal mining in water bodies. However, he noted that these guards were unable to effectively carry out their roles due to institutional challenges.
He pointed out the presence of key institutions such as the Water Resources Commission, the Minerals Commission, and the Navy, which are already tasked with overseeing water body protection. He believes that training an additional group of Water Guards would only create unnecessary overlap.
“During the previous government, we trained Water Guards. As the National Coordinator for Landscape Restoration and Small-Scale Mining, I was actively involved in these training sessions, particularly with the Naval Command,” Dr. Krugu explained.
“Unfortunately, those Water Guards never made it to the field due to institutional conflicts. You had the Navy training them, the Water Resources Commission claiming responsibility for water bodies, and the Minerals Commission also involved. As a result, these efforts did not yield any tangible outcomes.”
He expressed concern over the decision to train yet another group of Water Guards, stressing that this approach was not the solution to the problem.
“Instead of creating more groups, we should focus on strengthening the existing institutions to work more effectively,” Dr. Krugu concluded.
