The Keta Municipal area and South Tongu District of the Volta Region risk losing access to potable water in 2019 due to pollution of the Volta Lake by sand winners and farming activities, Ghana Water Company Limited, has said.
Activities of sand winners and farmers are raising the turbidity of the River at the Agordome intake point of the GWCL, especially during the rainy season; Mr. Philip Boateng, Regional Production Manager GWCL, said during an assessment tour of the area.
The Agordome Headwork was forced to shut down on Monday and Tuesday because the turbidity level of the River rose to 46 NTU rpt 46 NTU instead of the recommended level of less than 05 NTU.
Mr. Boateng said the situation had caused the River to be coloured and very turbid.
He explained that because the raw water water of good quality, the water was only filtered and disinfected with no provision for usage of alum, and that the continuous pollution of the River could affect production of potable water to the two districts in five years.
Mr. Anthony Gagblezu-Alomatu, Acting Volta Regional Chief Manager of GWCL, described the situation as “worrying and the community must make a choice between water on the one hand and sand and money on the other hand”.
Five different groups are winning sand at Battor using heavy machines with propellers to scoop sand from the River bed.
The sand winners are using floating drums and pipes connected to pumps which are agitated by propellers to scoop sand and water from the River bed.
Their activities have changed the ecology of the community with heavy 14 wheeler tipper trucks carting the sand creating gullies, promoting erosion of the river bank.
A middle-aged woman who sought anonymity told the GNA that due to the activities of sand winners, there were no fishes in that part of the river and complained about noise emanating from the heavy machines.
The GNA observed the growth of water hyacinth at Agordome intake site and at the sand winning site.
The sand winning business has become a booming industry at Battor and Osudoku.
Several 14 wheeler tipper trucks come from Accra to buy sand from the winner,s littering the River bank at the South Tongu, Central Tongu and North-Tongu districts.
GNA’s investigations showed that a cubic measurement of sand costs GHC15.00 with a 46 cubic 14 wheeler tipper truck costing GHC700.00
An official from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Ho told the GNA that some of the sand winning groups obtained permits from the EPA but were not going by recommended procedures.
Mr Samuel Mawuko Eworyi, District Chief Executive of South Tongu, told the team that the activities of the sand winners had been going on in the past four years and had become a major concern for the Assembly.
He expressed worry that these activities were changing the ecology of the communities and “no one is checking their environment assessment”.
