Illegal mining in Ghana’s Western Region is placing significant strain on water resources and treatment operations, according to Richard Eswan, Western Regional Manager of the Ghana Water Company (GWC), who spoke on the Asaase Breakfast Show.
Eswan said the region relies on four major surface water treatment plants — which are increasingly challenged by rivers contaminated with silt, loose soil, and chemical residues.
“Actually, there is another one, . And you have loose soil running into the rivers, raising the turbidity to very high levels. Almost all rivers are heavily salted. That is the situation in the Western Region,” Eswan explained.
The high turbidity and contamination, he said, increase the cost and complexity of treating water to meet both Ghana Standards and World Health Organisation potable water standards. “The more turbid or contaminated the water, the more expensive it is to treat. You can’t just put a fixed figure on it. When turbidity goes high, you need more chemicals and more energy to make it potable,” he said.
Eswan also highlighted the operational strain on GWC infrastructure. “Cerebral structures and electromechanical systems are heavily impacted. We constantly need to change pump casings and channels. Electricity costs rise because we need to extract more water. And manpower is required to manage all of this,” he said.
He warned that some rivers have reached critical levels. The Bonsa River, which supplies the Bonsa Water Treatment Plant is heavily flooded, leaving the plant unable to extract water for treatment. “Currently, treatment plants don’t have raw water at all because the rivers are seriously flooded,” Eswan said.
Asked about the long-term outlook if the trend continues unchecked, Eswan cautioned that the impact would extend beyond Ghana Water’s operations. “It wouldn’t just be Ghana’s water security at risk. The lives of Ghanaians would be affected. Daily access to safe water would be compromised,” he said.
In terms of interventions, Eswan cited efforts to augment water supply with boreholes and the upcoming commissioning of a 100,000-liter water treatment plant to improve access in areas like Sekenditakra, where the Farah River is heavily polluted. “This new plant will provide much-needed relief,” he said.
The Western Regional Manager emphasised that illegal mining, or galamsey, remains a persistent threat to one of Ghana’s most critical national resources.
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