Togo / Water Police Takes Action: Yark Damehame, Minister of State in charge of Water, springs into action

For years behind the scenes, the Water Police is finally making its debut. On January 17th, Yark Damehame, the Minister of State in charge of water and village hydraulics, officially announced the creation of this entity through a well-crafted decree.

This new force, mandated to detect and record violations of the Water Code in force since 2010, will deploy its operations nationwide. The personnel of the Water Police will consist of agents and judicial police officers, sworn experts from the ministries of water, health, environment, agriculture, local authorities, and individuals specially mandated by the State.

Concretely, these agents will have the power to enter private domains, residences, dependencies, wells, drills, and other water-related infrastructures to conduct investigations and establish findings. This authorization can be granted in the presence or at the request of the public prosecutor, the examining magistrate, or any competent judicial authority, or by virtue of a warrant issued by competent judicial authorities.

Furthermore, the Water Police is empowered to demand from owners or operators of water abstraction, water sampling, or effluent discharge installations their authorizations and the activation of installations to verify their characteristics. The decree also specifies that the entity has the right to access lands, buildings, residential houses, vehicles, or boats to collect samples, install measuring devices, conduct analyses, or inspect places where infractions are suspected.

In case of necessity, the agents can request the assistance of the public force, and in the case of a flagrant offense, initiate legal proceedings against the offenders. Thus, with this initiative, Minister of State Yark Damehame sheds light on the preservation of water resources, taking a further step towards responsible water management on the national territory.

Justine Akolatsey