The Northern Regional Security Council (REGSEC) has clamped down on the illegal activities of sand winners around the banks of White Volta at Dalung in the Kumbungu district of the Northern Region.
The White Volta is the main source of water supply to five districts including the entire Tamale Metropolitan Area and the Sagnarigu district.
The illegal activities of sand winners there is affecting the main treatment plant of Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL).
The Northern Regional Security Council visited the site to enforce the law and avert a potential water crisis in the Tamale Metropolis and beyond.
The regional minister, Salifu Saeed who also serves as the Chairman of the Council, gave the illegal sand winners a one-week ultimatum to leave the site or face arrest and prosecution.
“Failure to relocate within the one-week ultimatum will incur the wrath of REGSEC which will no longer attach any human face to tackle the situation.”
“You can get graders to come and create a path to the downstream so that you can have an access road to the place where you can get quality sand to mine,” he advised them.
The GWCL Regional Manager, Engineer Stephen Ndebugre bemoaned the rate at which the situation was negatively impacting water treatment and supply.
According to him, the GWCL is compelled to use a huge quantity of alum in treating the water.
“From 20 bags, we are now using about 90 bags. For a small plant like this, we shouldn’t be using that amount of alum but because of the pollution we are compelled to use that amount.”
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By: Abdul Karim Naatogmah/citifmonline.com/Ghana