Galamsey: Water turbidity in parts of Ashanti around 6000ph – GWCL

The Water Quality manager for the Ghana Water Company in the Ashanti Region, Alhaji Adam Yakubu says illegal mining is destroying the quality of water supplied to residents in the region.

According to him, the turbidity of the water in the area has gone up 6000ph making it expensive to treat the same volume of water distributed to the people compared to the past.

Speaking to Morning Starr Monday, the Alhaji Yakubu said it does not make economic sense to continue spending so much in treating the same volume of water for the people.

“As a result of 'galamsey' activities, the quality of our water has deteriorated. If the situation continues like this, the water available for the people of Odaso will be decreasing. We are having to spend so much on treating the same volume of water and it does not make economic sense. The trepidty has gone up so much that it’s difficult to treat. The turbidity is around 6000.

“The fight against 'galamsey', I know it’s going on and Operation Vanguard is on the ground. but I will leave Ghanaians to decide if they are being effective,” he said.

The comment comes on the back of the claim by the opposition National Democratic Congress that illegal mining is getting out of hands under the Akufo-Addo government.

“The current state of affairs reflects the failure of President Akufo-Addo’s so-called fight against 'galamsey'. In fact, that so-called fight turned out to be a ruse to kick out legal small scale miners and artisanal “galamseyers” and replace them with a new breed of marauding illegal miners belonging to the ruling New Patriotic Party and government.

“Ladies and gentlemen, it does appear that the public discourse about President’s Akufo-Addo’s failed fight against “Galamsey” has more often than not become a mere media banter between government on one hand, and the opposition cum Civil Society on the other.

Let me emphasize however that this issue of “Galamsey” (and I use that word advisedly), goes beyond the usual binary NPP/NDC debates in Accra. It is about our people, their health, water, forest resources and our survival as a nation.

The destructive manifestation of “Galamsey” being supervised by President Akufo-Addo in Ghana defeats the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s), which Ghana subscribes to.

It is an afront to notably, SDG 6, 13, 14 and 15 which all talk about clean water, sanitation, climate action, conservation and sustainability of land, water and marine resources,” the party said at press conference at Twifo Praso.