The Ghana Water Company Limited is attributing the drop in its production of treated water to several factors including illegal mining.
Speaking to the media, the Managing Director of the company, Clifford Braimah says 50 per cent of raw water goes to waste due to a high level of pollution.
Officials are also grappling with the reduction in volumes of water treated and supplied to customers.
The company says it continues to incur extra costs to treat and supply to its customers.
Ign. Braimah further warned of imminent consequences if the illegal mining menace is not addressed.
Sanitation and Water Resources Minister, Cecilia Abena Dapaah, has called out illegal miners, describing them as a bunch of nation wreckers.
She called on law enforcement agencies to ensure persons found engaging in such acts are severely punished.
She expresses concerns over how the continuous pollution of water bodies by activities of illegal miners is affecting the operations of the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL).
The Minister said the Ghana Water Company Limited is witnessing an increasing cost of water production at the treatment plants of the GWCL across the country due to the continuous pollution of water bodies by illegal miners.
“We have realized of late that the cost of producing water is going higher, and it is like there’s no end. That is why we are joining forces as a matter of duty with stakeholders like the chiefs, the youth, and legal small-scale miners to make sure we are all on one page as well as religious leaders to make sure we preserve our heritage meaning our environment, our lands, and our water resources. It is our duty. National Security says see something say something, we are adding do something,” she said.
-Beach Newroom-
