The ongoing water rationing in the Western Region is likely to be prolonged.
Officials at the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) in the region attributed this development to the dry season and activities of illegal mining.
According to them, this has drastically reduced their production volumes from a peak of 4.5 million gallons per day to 2.3 million gallons.
The Production Manager at the Western Regional office of GWCL, Vincent Opoku Ware Darko, in an interview with Citi News on Wednesday at the sidelines of a desilting exercise at the Daboase treatment plant, said the situation might worsen if measures are not adopted to curb the activities of illegal miners.
“The weather itself has an effect on the volume of water we can draw. We are in the dry season and in this season, we have a lot of evaporation because the weather is very dry so most of the water is taken out. And then, we have this galamsey issue where we have a lot of silt at the intake site and with this galamsey activity ongoing, it brings a lot of silt that they deposit at our intake. So we need to take these silts out so we can produce a lot of water,” he said.
GWCL rations water in Sekondi-Takoradi and its environs
The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL), a few months ago began rationing water supply to Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis and the Effia-Kwesimintsim Municipality.
This was due to the onset of the dry season which has resulted in the inadequate water supply to the treatment plant at Inchaban.
Nana Yaw Barima-Barnie, Western Regional Communications Manager of the Company who disclosed this in an interview, said during the dry season the dam in Inchaban receives less water from the river basin in Daboase for production.
He said, ”there is, therefore, the need to ration the water for evenly distribution else some communities may not get any water.”
He said, as a result, the areas in the two districts have been zoned into three groups and the first zone includes Effiakuma, Bankyease, Sawmill, Lagos Town, Airport Ridge, Kwesimintsim, West and East Tanokrom, Kajebril, Adjoa, Funko, New Amanful, Apremdo, Assakae, Apowa, and Dupaul.
Nana Barima-Barnie mentioned Anaji, West Line and West Anaji Residential Area, as the second zone; while Beach Road, Chapel Hill, Dixcove Hill, Essikafo-Ambantem No. 1,2 & 3; Port Quarters, Accra Road, Amonoo Road, Bekwai Road, Kintampo Road, Cape Coast Road, New Takoradi, John Sabbah Road, Tower Reservoir, Sekondi Road, Nkotompo, TTU Area, Kokompe, Air Force, Adakope, CDH, New Site, Harbour Area and Windy Ridge fall within the third zone.