Mr Francis Agyei-Boateng, the Chief Manager of the Ghana Water Company limited, says obsolete plants coupled with destruction of water bodies by illegal miners have become a major challenge to the operation of the company.
The company operates eight systems in the Western Region namely, Bonsa, Daboase, Aboso, Preastea, Bogoso and Axim, among others and relied on surface or ground water for production.
Mr. Agyei-Boateng said siltation as a result of Galamsey activities and frequent maintenance cost have become a thorn in the flesh of the company.
The Manager said these when Madam Cecilia Dapaah, the Sanitation and Water Resources Minister, visited some intake and treatment plants of the Ghana Water Company in the Western Region.
The Minister’s first point of call was at the Bonsa Water Treatment Plant in the Tarkwa Nsueam Municipality, where the 1975 machinery had not seen any rehabilitation or expansion works to cater for the growing needs of the area.
The Bonsa Water Treatment Plant with installed Capacity of one million gallons a day is now producing half of that capacity.
The Chief Manager told the sector Minister that raw water reduction and heavy siltation due to galamsey operations continued to affect production.
He therefore prayed for the construction of a new water treatment plant to improve upon production and distribution in the catchment area.
The story was not different at the Daboase and Inchaban Treatment Plants, where both plants are doing averages of their installed capacity.
The 50 and almost 100 years plants respectively, have out lived their usefulness and lifespan and must be replaced as a matter of national interest.
The Sector Minister while lamenting on the destruction of the plants, said the Government would embark on new water projects in the ensuing years and the Western Region would not be left out.
She urged communities to support government’s calls for action against illegally mining to maintain the sanctity of the country’s water bodies.
The Western Regional Minister, Mr Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, pledged his commitment to abate the illegal mining canker in the Region.