Need For Coastal Water Management Tool For Oil Spill Simulation In Ghana

Ghanaian water bodies have been under threats recently, ranging from illegal mining, sand winning, reclamation of water bodies for the purposes of human settlement, pollution, etc. Civil and mechanical installations on the coastal waters have increase due to the discovery of oil recently and such situations are not spared by oil spills. Oil spills are an inevitable consequence of the need to produce, store, and transport oil. The commercialization of oil production has placed Ghana among High-Risk Zones which are characterised by high traffic density and the presence of navigational hazards. Despite Ghana’s awareness about oil spill accidents in both preparedness and response, it is likely it will be compromised when any accident occurs as it has more pressing demands on finite funds and resources. This situation might place Ghana among il l-prepared countries against oil spill combat. An important part of contingency plan is the prediction of locations that are susceptible to oil after spillage. This can be done by the use of satellite information, reviewing and comparing previous incidents, laboratory work or by fine tuning models which as of now the country is not having despite all the precautions to prevent oil spills. When spill models are used properly, they provide ecological, economic and social benefits. Hence, the need for such decision-making tool for Ghana to create an environment for the contingency plans to be tested, validated and upgraded. Such exercises not only maintain and increase the skills of the response personnel, but also lead to improvements and fine tuning of the plan as weaknesses and gaps are identified.