The Kyebi Water Treatment plant in the Eastern region has been shut down for about two months now due to the impact of illegal mining on its operations.

The situation is a result of galamsey activities along the banks and sometimes in the  Birim River, which is the main feed to the treatment plant.

The situation has impacted the daily lives of the people of the area.

The Eastern Regional Chief Manager for Ghana Water Limited (GWL), Paul Akpanya said activities of the miners have caused the turbidity levels at the treatment plant to reach 22,000 Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTU).

When this happens, our machines are unable to treat. So in August this year, when we experienced the 22,000 NTU figure, we were forced to shut down the treatment plant.

He explained that this was because the treatment system was designed to treat clean water and not sludgy water.

He indicated that continuing production would have led to the deterioration of the pumping systems and resulted in frequent repairs.

Mr Akpanya said, apart from the increased chemical cost, they would have to throw away a lot of untreatable water.

At one point he said the coagulants could not even cause the sludgy water to settle due to the heavy silt.

As of Friday morning, he said the turbidity figures hovered between 5,000 NTU and 8,000 NTU, which he said were still higher than what the plant could treat.

He was briefing the leadership of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) after a visit to the plant on Friday.

The leadership of the TUC toured two water treatment plants at Agona Kwanyako and Kyebi in the Eastern region on Friday to ascertain the impact of galamsey in the two plants.

Call to end galamsey

The leadership of the TUC after the tour of the two facilities called on the government to take decisive measures to end the illegal mining activities popularly known as galamsey to save the country's water bodies.

The Secretary General of the TUC, Joshua Ansah, who made the call, stated that while there had been a lot of meetings and some action to halt the activities of illegal miners and on the devastating impact of their activities in communities across the country, there must be firmer, concrete action on the grounds to tackle the menace.

The leadership said it was time for the government to launch an attack on galamsey to save our water bodies.

The two treatment plants have suffered alarming effects of the galamsey operations, impacting water supply to the catchment communities.

Water shortage

Agona Swedru and its environs have in the last months suffered water shortages due to the Agona Kwanyarko treatment plant's intermittent operations due to the sludging of the intake point.

Residents have been resorting to fetching water from other sources suspected to be unhygienic.

The situation at the Kyebi Water Treatment plant was worse as it had been closed in the last two months.

Mr Ansah, added that the TUC was going to meet to know the next line of action.

He said the team was shocked at the devastation caused by illegal mining to the water treatment plants, saying the impact was disturbing.

He said every Ghanaian who understood the level of destruction caused by illegal mining to the environment must be worried and committed to take action urging the government to take urgent steps to curb the menace.