The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) in the Upper West Region has said that the activity of illegal miners in some parts of the region is adversely affecting their operations.
The Upper West Regional Water Quality Assurance and Production Manager at the GWCL, Mr Cletus Diekuu, said this when a joint team from the Upper West Regional Security Council (RESEC) and the Wa West District Security Council (DISEC) visited some illegal mining sites in the Wa West District.
He said the activity, otherwise known as “galamsey”, has caused rising levels of turbidity of the water from the Black Volta, thus becoming a threat to quality water production and supply from the Jumbussie water treatment plant in the Wa West District.
Mr Diekuu said the situation does not only affect the cost of quality water production but also has ripple effects on the consumers as they have to pay extra to cover the cost.
Mr Diekuu also noted that those activities have direct effect on the river since the chemicals from the mining activities are washed into the river by the rains.
He explained GWCL is carrying out surveillance around the area to find those illegal mining activities that are happening within its catchment area.
The team was led by Dr. Hafiz Bin Salih, the Upper West Regional Minister and Chairman of the RESEC to carry out the operations.
It visited a galamsey exploration site at the GWCL Booster station at Dorimon and mining sites at Kolingu and Poyentanga in the District.
Following the operations, the team destroyed four chanfangs, two water pumping machines and a mechanized borehole all at a galamsey site within the Poyentanga enclave.
Source: Info Radio