These developers have ignored a court order restraining them from encroaching on a restricted swathe of land meant to protect the dam and the Regional Minister, Mr. Osei-Mensah, says they are not going to be allowed to have their way. The dam has been supplying about two million gallons of water daily to some parts of Kumasi and its outlying districts.

Mr. Osei-Mensah indicated that the activities of the encroachers had become a huge bother and could not continue. About 230 buildings had been constructed on the restricted land – the property of the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL). The company has also been struggling with another challenge - illegal farming within the dam’s catchment, covering a total area of 4,125 acres.

This had affected the water quality, resulting in a high cost of treating the water to make it safe for drinking.  Mr. Osei-Mensah, speaking after inspecting the encroached areas at Bokankye and Owabi in the Atwima-Nwabiagya District, said all illegal structure would be levelled.“We have no choice than to pull down all illegally sited buildings to ensure continued water production and supply to the people.”

He rebuked the GWCL for having been too slow to act over the years, something, which he said, emboldened many a developer to push into areas that had been declared restricted.   Mr. Charles Tulashie, acting Chief Production Manager of the GWCL, complained that water production was being hampered by the activities of encroachers.  It was against this background that the company found the intervention by the REGSEC to be a right step.