Kwanyako Water Treatment Plant resumes operations after months of crisis in Central Region
Hope is finally on the horizon for thousands of residents across the Central Region who have endured months of severe water shortages, as authorities confirm that the Kwanyako Water Treatment Plant is expected to resume operations soon.
The plant has been shut down for weeks following heavy silting at its raw water intake point on the Ayensu River, a problem linked to upstream illegal mining activities in the Eastern Region.
The shutdown plunged districts such as Awutu Senya West, Gomoa East, Gomoa West, Agona East, and Agona West into crisis, with households forced to depend on unsafe water sources. The result has been a worrying rise in cases of waterborne diseases, while schools and businesses in the affected areas have also struggled to cope.
At Potsin T.I. Ahmadiyya Senior High School, Headmaster Mohammed Abdulai Quantson lamented the dire conditions students face. “Teaching and learning have become extremely difficult under this crisis,” he said, underscoring the far-reaching effects of the water shortage.
To cushion communities, Vice President Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang stepped in with emergency relief, donating two 5,000-litre water tanks to each affected district.
Delivering the Vice President’s message, Central Regional Minister Eduamoah Okyere Ekow Panyin assured residents that comprehensive measures were underway to restore a sustainable water supply. “The Ayensu River will be dredged and maintenance works carried out at the Kwanyako headworks to restore operations,” he stated.
He added that government was also considering supplementary interventions, including drilling boreholes and securing alternative water sources, to ensure communities are not left vulnerable in the future.
The Minister emphasised that addressing illegal mining along the Ayensu River remains a top priority. “We cannot resolve this crisis without tackling the galamsey menace. Restoring the river’s natural state is crucial to sustaining water for the region,” he said.