Former Member of Parliament for Anyaa Sowutuom, Dr. Dickson Adomako Kissi, has called for the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) to bear the cost of water treatment in the wake of a proposed 281 percent tariff increase by Ghana Water Limited (GWL).
GWL has applied for regulatory approval to raise tariffs from GH¢5.28 per cubic metre to GH¢20.09, citing ballooning debts, rising operational costs, and the high expense of treating water polluted by illegal mining (galamsey).
But Dr. Adomako Kissi believes Ghanaians should not be saddled with these costs. He argued that GoldBod, which profits from purchasing gold from both legal and illegal miners, should take responsibility for the damage caused to water bodies.
“The Goldbod has made a huge amount of money, which they have flaunted; they have told everybody. Why must I pay for the water treatment as a Ghanaian? Why must I bear that burden? I really think that the revenue from Gold that has been flaunted everywhere, a portion of that should be used to work on all the water facilities in this country. I really think that the true beneficiary of the damages to all of our water bodies is the gold and mining industry,” he said on Breakfast Daily on Channel One TV, Tuesday, September 23, 2025.
He further insisted that it is unfair for GWL to transfer the burden to ordinary consumers.
“The idea that Ghana Water Company wishes to increase tariffs that I and you have nothing to do with in terms of damage to our water, I think it is very wrongfully placed. As it stands now, all the gold, whether legal or illegal, goes to Goldbod, and as a matter of fact, I think they should be made to pay for all the water damages in this country,” he added.
GWL has defended the tariff proposal, noting that apart from galamsey-related pollution, foreign exchange pressures and the high cost of imported equipment and chemicals have also worsened its financial situation.
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