Water Resource Commission declares Tano river safe

The Water Resources Commission has announced that the natural water of the Tano River is free from any acid pollution and is now safe for use.

The river was contaminated when an articulator truck had an accident on the Tano Bridge on January 13, 2020.

"As at Wednesday January 15, 2020 all the containers with the acid have been safely removed from the river", parts of the statement read.

Read the full statement below:

PRESS RELEASE

TANO RIVER IS SAFE FOR USE

The Water Resources Commission wishes to assure the general public that the raw water of the Tano River is safe from any acid contamination that resulted from the accident on the Tano Bridge and, therefore safe for use and aquatic life.

An articulator truck got involved in an accident on the Tano Bridge on Monday January 13, 2020 near Techiman in the Bono East Region. The truck and its contents of sulfuric acid fell into the river, leading to the contamination of the river.

As at Wednesday January 15, 2020 all the containers with the acid have been safely removed from the river.

In addition to the dilution capacity of the river itself, lime was applied both upstream and downstream of the accident site to neutralise the acid in the river.

The raw water was also tested at regular intervals during the entire rescue period to check on the quality, especially the levels of acidity.

We wish to confirm that there is no longer any acid contamination of the raw water upstream, at the accident site, and downstream the Tano River.

Executive Secretary

Ben Ampomah