Crisis looms at Barekese and Owabi Dams areas as galamseyers strike

Activities of illegal miners and other encroachers within the Barekese and Owabi Dam catchment areas are causing the two facilities to produce below capacity.

Current supply shortfall between the two dams stands at 12 million gallons of water daily.

Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Dr Kwaku Agyemang Mensah describes the situation at the two dams as a looming crisis.

He says swift action is needed to check perpetrators before it degenerates into a national security concern.

Barekese and Owabi Dams have the capacity to supply at least 60 million gallons of water daily to Kumasi and other parts of Ashanti Region.

Human activities such as mining, farming, settlement in the restricted catchment of the dams continue to pose a serious threat to their existence.

Encroachers have constructed residential facilities at the Owabi side of the dam while other people farm and undertake mining activities at the Nkwantakese side of the Barekese Dam.

One of the tributaries of River Offin has been blocked as illegal miners take their activities upstream.

The use of mercury and other chemicals to extract gold contaminates the water, resulting in high-cost treatment to the Ghana Water Company.

Water Resources, Works and Housing Ministry officials led by the Sector Minister, Dr Kwaku Agyemang-Mensah and a police-military team have been assessing the level of destruction.

The Ghana Water Company is undertaking forestation in addition to constant security patrols to protect the catchment but law breakers appear unperturbed.

A middle-aged man believed to have sold the land to private developers was arrested for providing cover for them as they were busily constructing houses.

Dr Agyemang Mensah who is shocked at the rate of devastation foresees a national security crisis as production at the two dams dips.

“It’s clear that we have a crisis before us; a creeping crisis that if not properly managed, may develop into a national security problem,” he warns.

According to him, though government has invested heavily in water infrastructure, those gains are being eroded by unscrupulous persons for their parochial interests.

“Water is life, unfortunately, there are certain activities which are impacting negatively to our efforts," he said.

"Owabi facility should be able to give us 12 million gallons [gallons of water] a day but it’s giving us only 3 million gallons a day. Barekese can give us up to about 48 million but it is only giving us 30 [million gallons]," he said.

"If we are not careful, a day will come that Kumasi and its environs will be seriously affected,” Dr. Agyemang Mensah has predicted.

Meanwhile, the Water Resources Commission proposes the deployment of police-military personnel to mount surveillance and prevent further destruction at the two dams.

Executive Secretary, Ben Ampomah says that would be a long-term solution to the menace.

“In the long, of course, we’ve done in Weija is to put in permanent security to ensure that at any time, the level of encroachment goes down," he said.

Asked if the Commission will push for the demolition of structures illegally put up by encroachers, he said that is not the focus of the Commission now but rather first to protect water.