The Ghana Water Limited (GWL) has shut down the Bonsa water treatment plant in the Western Region because the intake point is blocked by silt.
The situation has been blamed on the activities of illegal miners in the enclave.
The company states that the current situation has severely impacted both water volumes and turbidity levels, consequently exceeding the capacity of the plant’s treatment system.
The shutdown, which took effect five days ago, leaves thousands living in Tarkwa and its surrounding areas facing an uncertain fate with water.
The company's managers insist they can no longer bear the recurring heavy financial burden caused by illegal mining activities and that the main water source to the plant, the Bonsa River, has been profoundly compromised.
Bonsa River
Speaking during a familiarisation tour of the Bonsa Treatment Plant in the Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipality, the Managing Director of the GWL, Adam Mutawakilu, said there was an urgent need for action.
He said for the sake of the thousands who depended on the Bonsa plant for water, there was a need to find a solution to the problem.
The situation has worsened so much that the Bonsa processing plant, which was built to produce five million gallons of water each day, is now operating at less than 1,000 cubic metres, which is under a quarter of its intended capacity.
The sharp decline in production, the MD said, had not only disrupted water supply for domestic and business use but also impacted revenue. The small income from producing less than 1,000 cubic metres of water isn't enough to cover the costs of ongoing dredging, leaving the plant operating at a loss.
Heavy investment
The company said it recently invested heavily in the dredging of the river, which gave it some volumes for treatment.
However, within less than 48 hours, the river returns to crisis levels, making extraction difficult.
As part of immediate interventions, Mr Mutawakilu and his team moved to Tarkwa to inspect nearby mining pit-lakes that might serve as alternative sources of raw water.
He said, contrary to popular belief, that many mining pit lakes were not polluted.
He explained that the abandoned mining pits often intersected underground channels, forming natural reservoirs of clean water that could be treated for public use.
With the Bonsa plant producing about 5,000 cubic metres of water per day under normal conditions, Mr Mutawakilu said an aquifer-fed pit lake could sustain operations for several years if adopted as an alternative water source.
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The Western Regional Manager of the company, Richard Essoun, stated that the company could no longer sustain the recurring financial burden.
