When the raw water turbidity levels in places affected by unlawful mining reach a critical level, the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) says it won’t relent in shutting down its units there.
Clifford Braimah, the Ghana Water Company’s Managing Director, voiced these worries about the significant impact of illicit mining on their operations and made a plea for coordinated efforts to address this problem.
He justified the company’s proposed 334% pricing hike before the Public Accounts Committee, noting that it intends to encourage Ghanaians to take responsibility by discouraging illegal mining activities in their neighborhoods.
“If I had my way, Ghanaians will go and chase away all the galamsayers out of their areas because once the turbidity goes up, we shut the plant. And if you have no alternative access to water, you will take the situation seriously because we stay with the people who pollute the water. And if we [GWCL] shut down, you will not even know where to go to get the water.”
“If you pollute the water and the cost of treatment goes up, why don’t you pay for it because you are making money in one breath polluting the water?”
