The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) has shut down operations at the Bonsa Headworks, which supplies 75% of potable water to the Tarkwa-Nsueam Municipality in the Western Region.
The decision was necessitated by what the GWCL described as “massive galamsey activities” on the Bonsa River, which have rendered it impossible to extract water for treatment.
A statement issued on January 2, 2025, and signed by the Tarkwa District Manager of GWCL, Wisdom Doe Akoto, noted that the closure follows repeated but unsuccessful efforts to curb pollution caused by illegal mining, locally known as “galamsey.”
The company expressed grave concerns about the impact of the pollution on water production and called for urgent intervention to halt the environmental destruction threatening the region’s water supply.
“We have tried all that we could but to no avail, hence the shutdown. The river is still being monitored for acceptable parameters to enable us to restart production, and until then, the plant remains closed. We promise to update the public on any development with regard to the current situation,” he said.
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