Managing Director of Ghana Water Limited (GWL), Adam Mutawakilu, has stated that although illegal mining activities (galamsey) continue to increase turbidity levels in major water sources, the company is still able to produce potable water across affected regions.
He explained that the Eastern, Western, and Central Regions remain the hardest hit by galamsey-related pollution, but treatment processes have been adjusted to ensure continued water production.
Mr Mutawakilu said some treatment plants in the Central Region, particularly the Kwanyako and Winneba plants, recorded very high turbidity levels in mid-2025.
“In the Central Region, the Kwanyako and the Winneba treatment plants are the ones with very high turbidity,” he noted.
According to him, turbidity levels peaked around August 2025, but improved treatment methods have enabled GWL to continue production.
“It was quite high around August 2025, but now our poly-electrolyte is able to treat the water. So, since the end of September 2025 to date, things have been better,” he said.
In the Eastern Region, the Kyebi water treatment plant has also been affected, while in the Western Region, the Tarkwa water treatment plant on the River Pra, as well as the Ayensu water treatment plant, continue to face similar challenges.
“These are challenges, but currently we are able to produce because the turbidity is within a level we can treat,” Mr Mutawakilu explained.
He, however, stressed that treating polluted water now comes at a significantly higher cost. The company has had to replace alum, previously used for treatment, with poly-electrolytes, which are far more expensive.
“In the past, alum was used to treat the water, but now we use poly-electrolyte, which is four times the cost of alum. That is one of the challenges we have as a company,” he said.
Mr Mutawakilu also identified siltation as another major operational problem, explaining that loose riverbanks cause sediments to block water intake points whenever it rains.
He cited the Bolgatanga treatment plant as an example, noting that despite recent desilting works, production was again disrupted following heavy rainfall.
“For example, at the Bolgatanga treatment plant, we desilted it. Two weeks later it rained, and now for close to two weeks we have not been able to produce,” he added.
