Ghana Water Limited outlines treatment recovery plan to improve water supply

The Ghana Water Limited (GWL) has inaugurated a treatment recovery plan to stabilise the country’s major raw water sources, improve water quality and reduce treatment costs within 24 months. 

The company estimates that it will take GH¢300 million to implement the recovery plan, excluding the cost of revamping the Barekese Water Treatment Plant in the Ashanti Region, which will be treated as a separate project due to its scale and complexity.

It seeks to address the increasing siltation and pollution of water bodies that have led to frequent shutdowns and rising operational expenses at many treatment plants across the country.

The Managing Director of GWL, Adam Mutawakilu, said at a press briefing in Accra yesterday that the funds would be directed towards riverbank stabilisation, re-vegetation at erosion hotspots, dredging around intake channels, and collaborative land-use management to prevent further degradation of water bodies.

“We are seeking to pool funding from corporate Ghana and development partners to complement Ghana Water Limited’s investment.

"We also need closer collaboration with district assemblies, the Water Resources Commission, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Minerals Commission and the Ghana Gold Board to ensure effective enforcement and improved protection of water zones," he stated.

Operational cost

Mr Mutawakilu explained that Ghana’s raw water sources were silting up faster than the company’s treatment plants could handle, resulting in rising operational costs, frequent shutdowns and declining water quality.

“After heavy rains, turbidity at several major intakes now spikes to levels that make conventional treatment difficult, costly, and sometimes temporarily impossible. If we don’t act at the source, we will spend more each year to produce less water,” he cautioned.

Catchment plan

Mr Mutawakilu added that the Catchment Recovery Plan would focus on eight priority river bodies feeding GWL’s treatment plants.

The programme combines riverbank stabilisation and revegetation at erosion hotspots, survey-led dredging around intake channels, and community and institutional engagement to ensure long-term sustainability.

“At Owabi last year, dredging cost about GH¢64 million, while at Mampong, about GH¢13.8 million was spent.

These interventions kept abstraction channels open, but they required downtime that reduced supply to our communities” he said.

Mr Mutawakilu also mentioned some of the worst-affected systems, including Anyinam, Kibi, Osino, and Akim Oda on the Birim River; Nsawam on the Densu; Daboase and Sekyere Hemang on the Pra; Bonsa on the Bonsa River; Kwanyako on the Ayensu; Odaso, Konongo, and Barekese in the Ashanti Region; Jambusie on the Black Volta; Kpeve and Agordome on the Volta Lake, and Dalun on the White Volta.

Consequently, the GWL has intensified preventive maintenance, rehabilitated filters, refurbished pumps and motors and undertaken emergency dredging at some plants to maintain water abstraction.

However, the cost of treatment continues to rise sharply.

“At Barekese, Odaso and Konongo, chemical costs have increased by about 400 per cent.

We have shifted from alum to polymers, which are more effective but costlier and largely imported,” the GWL Managing Director said.

Tariff regulations

Mr Mutawakilu emphasised that as a tariff-regulated utility, GWL cannot immediately pass on increased costs to consumers.

“Affordability matters, but the gap between regulated revenue and siltation-driven costs threatens the sustainability of our operations," he said.