The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) has attributed the irregular and shortages of water supply, being experienced by many, to the activities of illegal mining and sand winning in water bodies.
Mr Kwamina Acquah, the Western Regional Communications Officer of the GWCL, said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency to mark this year’s International Water Day..
He said water sustenance in the country was a collective responsibility of various institutions including, Ghana Water Resource Commission, Community Water and Sanitation Agency, Water Research Institute, Ministry of Works, Housing and Water Resources, Ghana Water Company as well as all well-meaning Ghanaians.
Therefore, he said, all these institutions have a role to play in safeguarding regular and safe water supply to the citizenry and the GWCL would continue the educational drive to create awareness among Ghanaians on the need to handle water with care and avoid negative practices that pollute water bodies.
The global theme for this year’s celebration was: “Water and Jobs”, and it is aimed at creating awareness on the link between jobs created by the availability of water on the earth.
The national theme was:”Improving Water Access for Sustainable livelihoods”.
Mr Acquah said the Company took some school children around its water treatment plants at Bosomase in the Wassa East District and Inchaban in the Shama District for them to appreciate the treatment processes of raw water and the need to protect water bodies.
He said the installed-capacity of Inchaban water treatment plant was four million gallons of water per day but currently, it was producing 1.280 million gallons while Bosomase water plant had six million installed-capacity per day, but is currently producing 3.735 million gallons.
Mr Acquah said the water supply situation in the Western Region and Sekondi-Takoradi in particular, was not the best as a result of continuous sand winning as well as mining by illegal miners in water bodies.
He said such prohibited activities contaminated water bodies with chemicals like mercury, hence the need for more Chlorine and other treatment agents to purify and process the water for consumption.
As a result, he said, the GWCL incurred more costs in treating water for supply and although it was its core objective is to improve access to water such impediments have been a stumbling block in its efforts to execute its mandate.
He said currently some illegal miners have dug pits around the River Prah which served as a source of water for treatment and this has reduced the water level.
He said: ”there are occasions the personnel of the Ghana Water Company have tried to clamp down on the illegal mining activities in water bodies, especially River Prah, but the illegal miners confronted us with machetes and other dangerous [weapons], threatening to harm us”.
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