GWCL: Galamsey Increasing Water Treatment Costs

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The Managing Director of Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL), Adam Mutawakilu, has warned that illegal mining is increasing water treatment costs and placing additional pressure on the company’s operations.

Appearing before Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Mr Mutawakilu explained that severe pollution of water bodies in mining-affected regions has forced the company to adopt “more expensive treatment methods to maintain water quality.”

The Managing Director identified the Western, Central, Ashanti and Eastern regions as areas where illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, has significantly affected operations.

“Anytime turbidity is beyond a certain level that can affect our pumps, we shut down. And this translates to chemical treatment. It has shot up our chemicals. Where we used to use alum, we now use polyelectrolyte and it is about four times the cost of alum.”

The Managing Director indicated that the financial implications of treating polluted water have prompted the company to consider alternative ways of securing cleaner supplies. He recounted a visit to Hungary, where wells and filtration systems constructed along riverbeds allow water to pass through natural filtration before being collected for treatment.

According to Mr Mutawakilu, a similar arrangement could help Ghana reduce the burden of treating highly polluted raw water, although implementing such infrastructure would require substantial investment. He explained that the company is examining options for harnessing cleaner water from mining company reservoirs, which he observed has recorded turbidity levels below 0.5 nephelometric turbidity units (NTU).

The Managing Director proposed that these sources could potentially be channelled into a large reservoir and supported by a dedicated treatment plant to supply communities. However, he stressed that the feasibility of the proposal would depend on the availability of funding and technical assessment.

Additionally, Deputy Minister Designate for Works, Housing and Water Resources, Hon. (Mrs.) Gizella Tetteh-Agbotui, acknowledged that illegal mining has created significant difficulties for agencies within the water sector. She assured Ghanaians that the relevant institutions are working to address the situation and improve the supply of safe water.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) urged Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) to explore “innovative revenue-generation strategies and reduce operational costs” to finance essential water infrastructure.

Honourable Osei-Asare stressed that the company needs to strengthen its financial position to undertake projects capable of improving access to reliable water supplies.

Her intervention follows Mr Mutawakilu’s explanation that major infrastructure proposals are being considered but remain dependent on the availability of funds.

“You have to come up with innovative ways of raising funds and reducing your costs so that you can have more to do some of these things.”

Beyond financing, the PAC Chairperson questioned the measures Ghana Water Company Limited uses to ensure that treated water meets the required quality standards before reaching consumers. In response, Mr Mutawakilu assured the Committee that the company tests water at treatment plants before distribution, using equipped laboratories and mobile laboratories where necessary.

The Managing Director explained that the tests assess parameters including pH levels and chlorine concentration to ensure that treatment requirements are met. He also invited independent experts to collect raw and treated water samples for examination, arguing that such assessments would provide an opportunity to investigate any evidence of substandard water.

Mr Mutawakilu acknowledged that ageing pipelines could introduce particles into water during distribution, but distinguished this possibility from the quality of water leaving treatment facilities. He affirmed that the GWCL undertakes “rigorous testing before releasing treated water for public consumption.”

Meanwhile, Honourable Osei-Asare referred to findings from a performance audit involving community water systems, which identified water quality deficiencies and high iron content associated with corrosion in pumping equipment and storage tanks. Her questions highlighted the need to ensure that water quality is safeguarded throughout the supply chain, including infrastructure used to convey and store it.

The hearing also examined the Teshie-Nungua desalination plant and its contribution to local water supply. Mr Mutawakilu credited the facility with helping to address the area’s historical cholera problem, although he acknowledged that interruptions in its operations has affected the consistency of supply.

He explained that GWCL engineers have modified pipeline arrangements to enable residents to receive water twice a week whenever the plant is operational. Nevertheless, the company continues to face a substantial gap between water demand and available supply, requiring further improvements to existing infrastructure.

Deputy Minister Designate for Works, Housing and Water Resources, Honourable Gizella Tetteh-Agbotui, also assured Ghanaians that agencies under the ministry understand their responsibilities regarding water quality. She highlighted the collaboration between the Water Resources Commission and the country’s main water agencies, alongside organisations such as Safe Water Network and WaterAid.

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