The Ghana Coalition Against Galamsey has denounced a proposed 280% water tariff increase as economic injustice and evidence of government failure in combating illegal mining that has devastated the country’s water resources.
The Ghana Water Company Limited has submitted the controversial proposal to the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission, citing devastating effects of illegal mining and water body pollution as the main drivers for the unprecedented tariff adjustment request.
In a statement released Monday, the coalition characterized the proposed increase as a national admission of defeat in the fight against galamsey, forcing ordinary Ghanaians to bear the financial burden of environmental destruction they did not cause.
Ghana Water Company Limited attributed the request to rising costs of treatment chemicals, frequent damage to equipment, and operational challenges caused by heavy pollution of water sources by galamsey, according to recent stakeholder engagement sessions with regulators.
The coalition highlighted alarming statistics from water treatment facilities across the country to illustrate the scale of environmental damage. Turbidity levels at the Kwanyarko Water Treatment Plant have reached 32,000 NTU, indicating water cloudiness so extreme that purification costs have become unsustainable for the utility company.
Ghana’s water crisis extends beyond a single facility, with multiple treatment plants either shuttered or operating at minimal capacity. The Bunso Water Treatment Plant has remained closed for nearly a year, while the Kyebi facility operates at bare minimum capacity with frequent shutdowns due to severe pollution.
Residents in parts of Central Region, especially in the Kwanyako enclave, are forced to use unsafe water following the shutdown of Kwanyako Headworks by Ghana Water Limited, demonstrating the immediate human impact of galamsey activities on water supply infrastructure.
The coalition argues that the tariff increase represents economic punishment for citizens already struggling with cost-of-living pressures. For households living from hand-to-mouth, a 280% water bill increase constitutes an unthinkable financial burden that essentially forces them to pay for environmental crimes committed by others.
“This is not a request for a tariff increase; it is an admission of catastrophic failure,” the coalition stated. “It is an invoice being presented to the Ghanaian people for a mess we did not create.”
The proposed adjustment follows President John Dramani Mahama’s recent comments on illegal mining during a September 10th Presidential Media Encounter, which the Ghana Coalition Against Galamsey described as disappointing and failing to inspire hope in addressing the environmental crisis.
Civil society organizations have joined the coalition in rejecting the tariff proposal. The Integrated Social Development Centre and Africa Water Justice Network urged the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission to reject the tariff hike, calling it “grossly unjust and a betrayal of the public trust” without first addressing structural inefficiencies and the national security threat of galamsey.
The water crisis exposes broader failures in environmental governance despite years of government promises, military crackdowns, and task force deployments. Ghana’s inability to halt illegal mining operations has transformed rivers that once supplied clean water into toxic waste streams requiring increasingly expensive treatment processes.
Beyond immediate household impact, the tariff increase threatens to cascade through Ghana’s economy, affecting schools, hospitals, and businesses with higher operational costs. Agricultural and fisheries sectors face additional pressure from polluted water sources that compromise food security and rural livelihoods.
The coalition warns that what began as an environmental crisis has evolved into an economic and social emergency, threatening not just rivers and forests but the dignity and survival of ordinary Ghanaians. Every cedi added to water bills represents a tangible reminder of government failure in protecting natural resources from destruction.
Ghana Water Company Limited’s request for astronomical tariff increases demonstrates how environmental crimes impose direct financial penalties on law-abiding citizens while perpetrators continue operating with apparent impunity. The utility company maintains that current tariff structures cannot support the escalating costs of treating heavily contaminated water sources.
Anti-galamsey sentiment continues building, with the FixTheCountry movement announcing its first protest against President Mahama’s handling of illegal mining, scheduled for September 21-22, 2025, reflecting growing public frustration with government inaction.
The proposed tariff increase serves as a stark indicator of how environmental destruction translates into economic hardship for ordinary citizens, raising fundamental questions about accountability and justice in Ghana’s approach to natural resource protection and corporate responsibility.
Source: newsghana.com.gh
