By Jones Anlimah
The Ghana Water Limited (GWL) has warned that unchecked sand winning activities near river bodies in the Volta Region could significantly worsen water quality and increase the cost of production.
At a public hearing on submitted utility tariff proposals for the 2025-2029 Multi-Year Tariff Review Period, held in Ho, Mr. Michael Tawiah Klutse, Chief Manager in charge of Corporate Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation at GWL, said the region currently enjoys some of the cleanest water bodies in the country, requiring minimal treatment.
“In Volta Region, apart from one or two of the systems, we don’t use alum or coagulants. We only pump, filter, disinfect and distribute. The cost of chemicals here is almost negligible,” he stated.
However, Mr. Klutse cautioned that rising turbidity levels largely caused by sand winning close to riverbanks were already threatening this advantage. “If we don’t stop people from mining sand by the river bodies, Ghana Water will be forced to introduce coagulants into production here, which will increase costs. If the situation persists, we could even face shutdowns of some plants, as has happened in other parts of the country where there are illegal mining.”
Adding her voice, a Board Member and Chairperson of Stakeholder Committee of PURC, Nana Yaa Jantuah, urged communities to weigh the short-term economic gains of sand winning against the long-term risks to water supply and the environment.
“Somebody thinks he is making money winning sand by the rivers, not knowing he is destroying the environment and putting pressure on the very services we all depend on,” she said. “If utility costs rise because of these activities, they will be passed on to the consumer. That is why the PURC is calling for greater public education and enforcement of the law to protect our water sources.”
She emphasized that the Commission would not approve tariffs blindly but would insist that any adjustments be tied to clear performance targets by service providers.
Picture cedit:citinewsroom.com
