Water Research Institute alarmed at pollution around Lake Bosomtwe
The Water Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research has raised alarm over the level of pollution along Lake Bosomtwe mainly from refuse dumping, illegal mining and new developments close to the lake.
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Increased deforestation around the lake also means that the lake in the Bosomtwe District of the Ashanti Region is being stripped off its vegetative cover.
A Senior Research Scientist of the Institute, Dr Fredrick Amu-Mensah, made this known at a seminar in Accra to review some of the council’s research works in some parts of the country.
Serving some 26 communities, the lake is the only natural lake in Ghana and is said to have been created by a large meteorite strike that took place many years ago. The lake is known to attract both local and international tourists.
The problems
“The major threat is the disposal of refuse. Waste disposal is a serious problem as communities dispose of rubbish containing polythene bags, sachets and even tins in the stream channels, which end up in the lake during rainfall ,” he said.
He said although galamsey was out of the catchment area, the fear was that the continuous excavation would push sediments into the lake whenever it rained.
“When you go there during the rainy season, it looks like there is no rubbish around but the reality is all of it has been washed into the lake. Once it goes in there, it would remain unless somebody goes to excavate.”
The two-year study also found that although many inflow channels existed and could contribute to significant inflows into the lake, their flows occur only during rainfall and ceases shortly after the rains.
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Dr Amu-Mensah observed that the situation had consequences for water quality but was quick to add that it was necessary to check deforestation and institute good agricultural practices that would check erosion and sediment transport into the lake.
Other CSIR researches reviewed at the seminar included rain water harvesting for resistance to climate change impact on water availability in Ghana, ICT tools for enhancement of irrigation in West Africa and sediment studies on the Weija Lake.
Weija Lake study
A Research Scientist, Mr Fredrick Logah, in a presentation, said annually, an average of 5, 000 tonnes of suspended sediment was deposited into the river which was higher than the Water Resource Commission’s water quality target range of five milligrammes per litre.
The study also found that apart from the volume lost to deposited sediments, annual water inflows and water quality issues, the current capacity of the Weija water treatment plant would not be able to meet water demands for 2015, 2025 and 2050 planning horizons.
Water Resources Commission
The Executive Director of the Water Resources Commission, Mr Ben Ampomah, who chaired the function,commended the CSIR for undertaking the researches, and urged the council to develop business components for their projects to make them self-financing and sustainable in the long run.