The siltation of major water bodies poses a serious threat to Ghana’s long-term universal access to clean water, said Adam Mutawakilu, managing director of Ghana Water Limited (GWL), the state-owned utility, on Monday.
Mutawakilu said heavy rains now cause turbidity at several key intakes to surge to levels that make conventional treatment difficult, costly, and sometimes temporarily impossible.
He identified climate change, unsafe farming practices, sand winning, illegal mining, and bushfires as the main drivers of siltation affecting major water bodies that serve as intakes for the company’s urban and peri-urban water treatment plants.
According to the managing director, 11 major water bodies serving at least 16 treatment plants nationwide are severely affected, driving up treatment costs and threatening the operational sustainability of GWL.
“Siltation breaks the system in several ways,” Mutawakilu said. “Operationally, we face more frequent shutdowns when turbidities exceed what our systems can handle; we pause to clean structures, remove sludge, and wash filters more often-depressing output and reliability. Chemically, water that once responded to alum now demands improved treatment after storm events dominated by fine clays and colloids.”
He added that abrasive solids erode pumps and other mechanical parts, causing frequent breakdowns, premature wear, and unplanned replacements. Treatment plants are being pushed beyond their optimal operating range, leading to higher energy consumption but less water output.
Due to the worsening turbidity, GWL has shifted from an aluminum sulfate (alum) treatment regime to the use of carefully selected polymers, which perform better under current conditions but come at a higher cost.
To address the problem, GWL has launched a 24-month catchment recovery program to dredge at least eight major water sources and improve the quality of raw water for treatment. He urged corporate institutions to support the initiative to ensure sustainable access to clean water for all consumers.
Source: newsghana.com.gh
