The Managing Director of the Ghana Water Limited, Adam Mutawakilu, has painted a gloomy picture for the supply of water going forward if the galamsey menace is not curbed. Speaking at a press conference in Accra on October 20, Mr Mutawakilu said the situation is getting dire. “Siltation breaks the system in several ways. 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.
Mechanically, abrasive solids erode pump parts and other structures, leading to multiple breakdowns, premature wear, unplanned replacements, and longer workshop queues. Energy-wise, abrasion pushes pumps outside their efficient operating range, so we burn more power to move less water,” he said. “Without sustained desilting operations, our pumps will continue to struggle to deliver quality water,” the MD warned. Effects of Siltation on the Operations of Ghana Water Limited — and What We Must Do Together
Date: Monday, 20th October 2025
Venue: Ghana Water Ltd Conference Room
Good morning, distinguished guests, colleagues, partners, Friends of the Media, ladies and gentlemen. Ghana’s raw-water sources are silting up faster than our plants were built to handle. After heavy rains, turbidity at several major intakes now spikes to levels that make conventional treatment difficult, costly, and sometimes temporarily impossible.
If we don’t act at the source, we will spend more each year to produce less water. Today, I’m inviting Corporate Ghana and our public-sector partners to join Ghana Water Limited (GWL) in a focused, 24-month Catchment Recovery Plan to stabilise priority rivers and cut treatment losses.
We see the evidence across our plants. Emergency dredging is no longer exceptional. At Owabi last year, dredging cost about GHS 64 million; at Mampong, about GHS 13.8 million. These interventions kept abstraction channels open—but they required downtime that reduced supply to our communities.
Effects of siltation
Siltation breaks the system in several ways. 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.
Mechanically, abrasive solids erode pump parts and other structures, leading to multiple breakdowns, premature wear, unplanned replacements, and longer workshop queues. Energy-wise, abrasion pushes pumps outside their efficient operating range, so we burn more power to move less water.
The worst-hit systems include:
- Eastern Region: Anyinam, Kibi, Osino and Akim Oda (on the Birim River); Nsawam (on the Densu).
- Central and Western Regions: Daboase and Sekyere Hemang (on the Pra River); Bonsa (on the Bonsa River), Kwanyako, (on the Ayensu River).
- Ashanti Region: Odaso (on the Oda River); Konongo (on the Anum River), and Barekese (on the Offin River).
- Upper West Region: Jambusie (on the Black Volta).
- Volta Region – Kpeve and Agordome (On the Volta Lake).
- Northern Region – Dalun (White Volta).
What GWL has done
GWL has responded downstream. We intensified preventive maintenance, accelerated filter rehabilitation, refurbished pumps and motors, and – where necessary – executed emergency dredging, most visibly at Owabi and Mampong, to restore depths and protect intake infrastructure.
In our treatment plants, we have progressively shifted from a predominantly alum regime to carefully selected polymers. This shift is technical and unavoidable: polymers perform more efficiently at today’s turbidity profiles than alum can.
But it carries a financial consequence. For example, chemical cost at Barekese, Odaso and Konongo in the Ashanti Region has increased by about 400%. Polymers cost more per kilogram, require tighter dosing control and quality assurance, and often involve relatively high foreign-exchange exposure.
The mechanical and energy story is similar. Silt-laden water shortens service intervals, increases spare-parts consumption, shrinks standby margins, and adds pressure to operating expenditure.
Let me state this plainly: Ghana Water Limited is a tariff-regulated utility. We cannot immediately pass sudden cost surges to consumers, nor do we wish to; affordability matters. But the gap between regulated revenue and siltation-driven costs stretches the company beyond reasonable limits and, if left unaddressed, threatens the sustainability of our mandate to deliver safe, reliable water.
Our proposal: the way forward
We propose an upstream solution – a joint 24-month Catchment Recovery Plan focused on eight priority river bodies feeding our plants. The plan combines riverbank stabilisation and re-vegetation at erosion hotspots; targeted, survey-led dredging around intake channels; and coordinated land-use compliance and community engagement to protect riparian buffers.
Why this makes financial sense
Targeted upstream will restore abstraction capacity, reduce treatment challenges, lower specific energy per cubic metre, and extend asset life by cutting abrasive wear. In simple terms, we convert recurring emergencies into planned, high-yield interventions that stabilise production and bend the unit-cost curve back toward baseline.
Broader effects of the problem
This challenge matters beyond GWL. If siltation continues unchecked, costs will cascade across the economy. Beverage and bottling firms will see slowdowns, higher inputs, and stock-outs. Food processors and fast-moving consumer-goods companies will face disrupted production cycles and quality incidents. Hotels, restaurants, and events will struggle with unreliable supply and expensive backups. Hospitals and schools will be forced into water carting with obvious hygiene and service risks.
Manufacturers will face process interruptions. Real estate and commercial centres will absorb rising costs for backup water and energy. Productivity falls and prices rise when a fundamental input – treated water – becomes more expensive and less reliable.
The case for partnership with Stakeholders
Conversely, partnering now delivers tangible benefits to Corporate Ghana: supply reliability that protects revenue and brand trust; lower total water costs as unit production costs ease; visible, verifiable Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) impact tied to named river reaches; and prudent hedging against climate-driven variability in raw-water quality.
We seek co-funding from Corporate Ghana and development partners to match GWL’s investments; closer collaboration with District Assemblies, the Water Resources Commission, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Minerals Commission, the Ghana Gold Board, and National Security to align enforcement and protect buffer zones; deeper community engagement through traditional authorities; and in-kind support—finances, materials, equipment, and logistics—assigned to specific river reaches where each contribution will be visible, measurable, and auditable.
COMMENDATION OF GOVERNMENT INTERVENTIONS
We wish to acknowledge the significant steps taken by the Government of Ghana to combat illegal mining and protect our environment.
- The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources under the leadership of Hon. Emmanuel Kofi Buah has intensified regulatory enforcement through initiatives such as the Blue Water Guard surveillance operations to monitor water bodies and prevent illegal mining activities. This initiative we believe, aims to protect Ghana’s water resources and restore polluted rivers, reclaimed degraded lands, and strengthened the fight against illegal operators.
- The Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources, led by Hon. Kenneth Gilbert Adjei, has consistently championed the protection of water bodies and collaborated closely with Ghana Water Ltd on both technical and policy fronts.
- His Excellency, President John Dramani Mahama, has provided clear and decisive leadership, prioritizing environmental sustainability through the National Anti-illegal Mining operations Secretariate (NAIMOS). A task Force composed of Military and security agencies to combat illegal mining activities.
- His Excellency John Mahama has also instituted the registration and tracking of excavators and heavy equipment used in mining, and this is making it difficult for illegal miners to operate. The President is consistently calling for national unity against illegal mining, and we salute him for his bold leadership.
These actions are yielding encouraging signs. In some catchment areas, we have observed significant improvements in surface turbidity. But let us be clear: The riverbeds remain heavily silted. Without sustained desilting operations, our pumps will continue to struggle to deliver quality water.
Our commitment
With your support, GWL will recover lost capacity at priority plants, reduce treatment losses and chemical dosage, lower specific energy and unit costs, and stabilise service to households, schools, health facilities, and businesses. We will report progress transparently so every partner can see how their contribution translates into fewer shutdowns, stronger plants, and more reliable supply.
Water security begins at the source. If we protect the source, our plants will do the rest. Let us act with urgency and purpose—together—to keep Ghana’s taps running.
Thank you all, and may Allah bless our Homeland, Ghana.
Source: Eric Mensah-Ayettey
