The Central Regional Minister, Ekow Panyin Okyere Eduamoah, has disclosed that about 10 districts in the region are facing an acute water shortage following the shutdown of the Kwanyako Headworks by Ghana Water Limited.
The shutdown became necessary after intake pumps at both treatment plants broke down due to heavy silt accumulation — a problem traced to illegal mining activities upstream in the Eastern Region.
Speaking to journalists after a meeting with the Local Government and Rural Development Committee of Parliament, the Minister said:
“It is affecting over 10 communities, ten districts. Yes, so we are talking about Gomoa East, Gomoa Central, Gomoa West, Agona East, Agona West, Ekumfi, part of Ekumfi, and then, even part of Accra, because you have Kasoa and Awutu Breku.
“So, we’re talking about more than eight districts that are being affected by this water crisis. So, it’s a major issue. I had a visit myself, and I realised that if they were forced with a gun in their heads to provide us with water, you would not be sure of the content of the water that you’d be consuming at home. So I asked that they stop.”
Boreholes to be reactivated
Mr. Eduamoah explained that affected assemblies have been directed to reactivate abandoned boreholes as an alternative source of water for residents.
“What we have decided to do, which is ongoing, is the fact that we quickly asked the MMDCEs to identify existing boreholes which had been abandoned because we had pipe-borne water. In fact, for Gomoa Central, for instance, we had about 16 of them, eight of them were functional, yet because we had water, they have been left. So, we asked them to reactivate them, and those that were faulty had to be repaired.”
Road project update
The Minister also announced progress on the dualization of the Kasoa–Winneba highway, noting that improvement in construction works will help ease traffic congestion on the busy stretch.
