Accra, Nov. 14, GNA - Government is to spend 30 billion cedis to remove encroachers on the Weija Dam site before the end of November and save it from possible collapse. Alhaji Abubakar Saddique Boniface, Minister of Water Resouces, Works and Housing, who announced this on Wednesday after touring the dam site declared: "This is a national emergency that requires immediate action.
"We don't need to waste time on this matter because the
rate of destruction is serious. Just this morning, we have had to
drive away some developers with graders working close to the
dam." The dam, which supplies potable water to about 2.8 million
people in western Accra, is feared to be under serious threat of
run-over that could cause destruction of life and property due to
activities of developers and stone winners who had resorted to
the use of explosives to detonate the rocks that serve as
protection for the dam. Water experts have warned of possible danger and predicted
that the extent of destruction could spread and submerge areas
as far away as Odorkor and Dansoman. Mr Boniface said the action to drive away encroaches would
involve the demolition of buildings and fencing of Ghana Water
Company's land. "This calls for a joint action of the national security, the
traditional authorities, the district assembly and all other
interested parties. "I'm calling for an emergency meeting this week to look at
the possible ways to tackle the issue. We have to do this before
the end of this month." The Minister said the Weija Water Treatment Plant was now
subjected to all kinds of contamination from sewerage to sand
and rock erosion, which were increasing the cost of treatment
because more chemicals had to be used. Mr Boniface said the problem could not be attributed to
negligence of the Ghana Water Company because it had taken a
lot of steps in the past to drive the encroachers away from the
land. Briefing the press on Monday, Mr Michael Amuakwa, Plant
Manager at the Weija Water Treatment Plant, explained that the
explosives, besides breaking the mountains, also weakened the
foundation structure of the dam. He said people had defied several warnings not to build or
carry out any form of human activity within the catchment zone
although they were aware that the land was the property of the
Ghana Water Company. Mr Amuakwa said because the stone quarrying was now
close to the banks of the dam, a lot of foreign materials had
entered it, making it difficult to determine the level and volume
of water. "It is not just an eyesore, but a catastrophe. The unfortunate
thing is that the people living here do not even know the serious
health threat they face in case of a chlorine gas leakage," Mr
Amuakwa said.
