Ghana Water Company Says Water Rationing In Western Due To Illegal Mining ….As 4 perish in galamsey pit at Salama

The Ghana Water Company limited has explained that its announcement of a water rationing regime for the Western region has come about chiefly because of the negative impact of illegal mining on raw water in the Region.

Director of Communications at the GWCL, Stanley Martey, told Accra-based 3 FM today that up to 40% of the raw water that the company sources end up being unusable after processing.

This is because, water sources in the region have been too polluted by the activities of illegal miners there.

Mr. Martey also blamed the scarcity of water to inadequate availability of raw water due to the dry season.

The GWCL announced yesterday that it has been constrained to ration water in the Western region due to inadequate availability of the critical resource.

Interestingly, Mr. Martey’s blame of galamsey comes in the wake of the Salama tragedy, in which persons engaged in illegal mining were trapped to death after the pit they were working in caved in on them.

The four, two men and two women, were said to be siblings before the accident yesterday which threw the Elembele district into outrage. Many are questioning the government’s claim that it has ended illegal mining across the country after a ban on it.

Stanley Martey warned that things could get worst if illegal mining, also known as galamsey, is not stopped in the Region. According to him, the water situation will however improve if the illegal mining is ended.