Executive Director of Eco-Conscious Citizens, Awula Serwah, has cautioned that Ghana’s water treatment costs may escalate sharply if illegal mining activities are not brought to an end.
Her remarks come in response to the proposed 280% upward adjustment in water rates by Ghana Water Limited, which attributes the increase to the rising costs of treatment chemicals, frequent equipment damage, and operational challenges stemming from the heavy pollution of water bodies caused by galamsey.
According to her, illegal mining is compounding the nation’s water crisis by destroying the environment and driving up the expenses associated with providing safe drinking water.
“It is taking livelihoods of peasant farmers. It is causing a lot of harm. It is making it more expensive to purify our drinking water,” she spoke to ABC News GH.
Awula Serwah stressed that without political will, the menace will persist, worsening both environmental degradation and economic strain.
“Why is there no political will to stop? So this will continue,” she lamented, adding that until galamsey is effectively curbed, the cost of water purification will keep rising.
