Sanitation and Water Resources Minister Mrs Cecilia Abena Dapaah has announced that plans are far-advanced by the government to dredge the Owabi and Barekese Rivers in the Atwima Nwabiagya South District of the Ashanti region.
“What was left was the feasibility studies, and fortunately for us the studies are ready. The report is coming out in a week or two and then we will hit the road”, the Minister disclosed.
According to her, the dredging works will commence with Owabi, explaining that this has become necessary because of siltation.
“As you know it was constructed with a depth of 22.5 feet and now we have 6 feet so dangerously, dredging is needed immediately so we are going to have it done,” she said.
Mrs Dapaah made this disclosure while speaking to journalists after paying a working visit to the Owabi and Barekese Dams, which construction dates back to the 1960s.
Earlier, the minister visited the Oda river in Odaso in the Ashanti Region where she lamented about the fact that about 140,000 people were being deprived of safe potable water in Obuasi Municipality and its surroundings, all because of the menace of galamsey.
She attributed this worrying situation to galamsey on river Oda in Odaso in the Obuasi Municipality, which was not making it possible for the Ghana Water Treatment plant close to the river to operate at full capacity.
“Looking at the fact that the capacity of the water treatment plant is four (4) million gallons of safe water a day, but instead it is doing one (1) million gallons for the whole of Obuasi and its surroundings all because of galamsey on the river Oda is sad and worrying,” she bemoaned.
Mrs Dapaah was sad at the condition and state of river Oda which provides potable water for thousands of residents in Obuasi and its satellite communities.
“We have all seen the state of the Oda river and it is not only bad but a very worrying spectacle,” she lamented.
According to her, due to the unhealthy state of the river, Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) whose water treatment plant, sited at Odaso, incurs a huge cost in treating the water for consumption.
“As a result of galamsey which has polluted the Oda river, the treatment plant of GWCL in Odaso does cleansing of the water on monthly basis, which hitherto was done once in a year. And this comes at a huge cost to the water company,” she worryingly expressed.
Consequently, Mrs Dapaah emphasised that the destructive nature of galamsey enjoyed “all of us” to speak out against it and support the President’s war on galamsey.
“We must not sit down but all of with one voice must speak against galamsey which continues to destroy our water bodies,” she stated.
She said her interactions with residents of Odaso indicated that they were constantly being threatened with machetes and locally manufactured guns by the galamseyers. when they speak out against the canker.
Mrs Dapaah has therefore lashed out at galamseyers for arrogating onto themselves powers to the extent that they can even threaten law-abiding citizens who spoke against their evil deeds.
“In fact, the residents were not the only ones threatened by the galamseyers but also GWCL officials who also complain are threatened with matches and guns by the illegal miners,” the Minister pointedout.
