{"id":313414,"date":"2017-04-24T07:06:07","date_gmt":"2017-04-24T07:06:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=313414"},"modified":"2017-04-24T07:06:07","modified_gmt":"2017-04-24T07:06:07","slug":"daboase-plant-still-under-threat-from-galamsey-ghana-water","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2017\/04\/daboase-plant-still-under-threat-from-galamsey-ghana-water\/","title":{"rendered":"Daboase plant still under threat from Galamsey – Ghana Water"},"content":{"rendered":"

Illegal mining remains a major threat to River Pra and the Daboase water treatment plant in the Wassa East District, according to the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) in the Western Region.<\/p>\n

This is despite the expiration of the three-week ultimatum from the government for the cessation of illegal mining.<\/p>\n

[contextly_sidebar id=”Dv1WsIWz12hJo4A4AMCAMdiHBE0wlBgW”]Speaking to Citi News<\/strong>, the Communications Manager for Ghana Water Company in-charge of Western and Central Regions, Nana Yaw Barimah Barnie confirmed that illegal mining activities were still ongoing on the River Pra, close to the intake of the treatment plant at Daboase.<\/p>\n

“We were there last Thursday, two days after the ultimatum expired. We went there to do some work and we saw some galamsey operators right on the River Pra working quite close to the intake of our treatment plant at Daboase.\u201d<\/p>\n

“The minister should try and also divert his attention onto our river bodies. We saw them with their chamfangs working on the river. We could hear them and we could also see them working. It is not the case that the galamsey operators have left the River Pra where our water treatment plant is. They are there as at just last Thursday,” Mr.\u00a0Barnie lamented.<\/p>\n

He further noted that the water coming into the Daboase Treatment Plant from the River Pra, is so polluted that it’s the turbidity level, the measure of the degree to which the\u00a0water\u00a0loses its transparency due to the presence of suspended particulates, stands at 1500 Nephelometric Turbidity Units.<\/p>\n

Figures from the Ghana Water Company revealed that the Western Region is losing a total of 5.3 millions gallons of water daily due to the increased activities of illegal miners in the Pra River.<\/p>\n

This means over half of the company\u2019s customer base of 31,327 are denied portable drinking water on daily basis.<\/p>\n

No change in state of affairs<\/strong><\/p>\n

Citi FM’s<\/strong> Western Regional Correspondent, Obrempong Yaw Ampofo visited the Pra River in August 2016 and his findings [below] remain similar to the account of the Ghana Water Company, as there appears to have been no improvement in the situation despite the escalated efforts against illegal mining in the past month.<\/p>\n

In August 2016, Obrempong Yaw Ampofo noted:<\/p>\n