Galamsey operations along the banks of the River Pra have forced Ghana Water Limited (GWL) in the Central Region to reduce its output at the Sekyerehemang Headworks by thirty percent.
The Bremsu Headworks will supply the water business with additional water, despite the fact that the project may negatively impact certain villages in the area.
In an interview with the media following the start of the dredging and desilting of the Pra River, Eric Seth Atiapah, the Chief Manager of the water distribution firm, stated that they are prepared to begin educating the nearby communities about the impact of galamsey activities on their functioning.
“This facility was constructed with a turbidity of approximately 500 MTU, and last week we had about 7,500 MTU, so you can see that this is water that cannot be treated. Most of the time, some of the factors we consider are the color and the turbidity. As an alternative to the typical alum we use, we now have to utilize really powerful compounds at quite high costs.
We have reduced output by 30% due to the water’s characteristics, giving us more time to fix the really terrible water we currently have.
“The government is working extremely hard to combat the national problem of galamsey, and we are also making every effort to work with the communities to get the galamseyers off our intake point.”
