Water Crisis In The West

The water supply situation at the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis and Shama District has become �critical� as the Pra River at Daboase and the Anankwa River at Inchaban, the main sources of raw water supply are drying up. As a result, the Ghana Water Company water treatment plants at Daboase and Inchaban can no longer supply the stipulated quantity of water to consumers in the two areas. The Daboase headworks which supplies six million gallons of water daily from the Pra River to residents of Takoradi now supplies four million gallons while the Inchaban headworks which supplies four million gallons of water daily from the Anankwa river now supplies only 500,000 gallons. Mr Mark Teiko Codjoe, Production Manager of GWC, who disclosed this on Friday when he conducted newsmen round the treatment plant headworks and reservoirs at Daboase and Inchaban, said the situation had compelled the GWC to ration water in the two areas. Mr Codjoe therefore asked the public to co-operate with the GWC to ensure that the situation did not get out of hand. Residents should store water, use water judiciously and avoid using treated water to water flowers and wash vehicles. He said apart from the drying up of the Pra, the activities of Galamsey operators were threatening treatment plants, by spilling oil and chemicals into the river, making water treatment very expensive. Mr Codjoe said that since the GWC did not have the capacity to arrest the illegal miners, it had reported their activities to the Western Regional Security Council. Some were arrested on a few occasions but they were freed shortly afterwards, a situation, he said, had upset the security personnel. Mr Francis Agyei-Boateng, Regional Distribution Manager of GWC, said the critical situation would be overcome when the rains set in.