Ghana Water Limited (GWL) says the Weija Dam currently has sufficient capacity to supply water to the western part of Accra throughout the year, but plans are in place to desilt the reservoir when necessary.
Head of Public Relations and Communications at GWL, Stanley Martey, said regular desilting of rivers and reservoirs is important to maintain adequate water levels for treatment and supply.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Wednesday, September 9, in a discussion on the Weija Dam spillage, Mr Martey was asked about concerns over possible siltation of the reservoir and what the company was doing to address the issue.
He said the current dam remains adequate for the area it serves.
“With the dam for now, I think it is enough to save the western part of Accra throughout the year without any challenge,” he said.
Mr Martey, however, acknowledged that siltation is an issue that has to be addressed over time.
“Be that as it may, we still have to desilt when it is silted. And there are plans to do that,” he said.
He explained that desilting is not something that needs to be done continuously, but is carried out periodically when required.
“Beyond some of these rivers, and especially what we do almost every 15, 20 years, there should be some desilting,” he said.
“And which we will do when the time is up.”
According to Mr Martey, the need to maintain the capacity of water bodies is particularly important because the water stored in the reservoir is ultimately treated for public consumption.
He said GWL has procedures in place to ensure that its water sources are properly managed.
“As for desilting of river bodies and dams, especially for what we have, because we have to transfer the treatment and for consumption, we need to ensure that we always have enough water within the reservoir to feed us throughout the year,” he said.
Mr Martey said the company follows established procedures to ensure that the reservoir continues to provide sufficient raw water for treatment.
“So, Ghana Water Company, we follow our standard operating procedures to ensure that these things are done,” he said.
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