ECG, GRIDCo, Ghana Water Company lament illegal mining menace at PURC hearing
Utility service providers have sounded a strong alarm over the devastating effects of illegal mining (galamsey) on their operations, warning that the escalating environmental destruction is threatening their ability to deliver reliable services to Ghanaians.
Speaking at a public hearing on proposed utility tariff adjustments organized by the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) in Kumasi, officials from the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL), the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), and the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) painted a grim picture of how galamsey is crippling essential infrastructure.
GWCL’s Chief Manager for Special Duties, Seth Eric Atiapah, said the company’s water treatment plants are under extreme pressure due to severe contamination of raw water sources caused by illegal mining.
He revealed that turbidity levels — which measure how dirty or cloudy water is — have reached shocking levels far beyond what the systems were designed to handle.
“The Odaso Water Treatment Plant in Obuasi, which was designed to treat water with a turbidity level of up to 100 NTU, now records 15,000 NTU,” he said. “At Konongo, where the plant was also built for 100 NTU, we’re seeing readings of 12,000 NTU — and the plant has even run dry in recent weeks. The Sekyere Hemang Plant has hit 18,000 NTU, forcing temporary shutdowns.”
He added that the pollution has spread to other facilities including Winneba, Daboase, Kwanyako, and Kibi, some of which have had to shut down completely due to unsafe conditions.
To protect consumers, Mr. Atiapah said the company will establish 24 new water quality laboratories nationwide, including three in the Ashanti Region, to strengthen testing and monitoring before water distribution.
The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) also lamented the widespread damage caused by galamsey to power infrastructure.
Moses Okley, ECG’s General Manager for Financial Planning, said illegal mining has destabilized electricity poles in heavily mined areas such as Manso Nkwanta, New Edubiase, Dunkwa, and Obuasi, leading to frequent power outages. He noted that the company is now being forced to relocate poles from areas affected by illegal mining.
GRIDCo’s Director of Corporate Strategy, Samuel Kuo Aquah, echoed similar concerns, warning that illegal mining is eroding the foundations of transmission towers and endangering the stability of the national power grid. He said GRIDCo is now constructing retaining walls around vulnerable structures to prevent them from collapsing.
Responding to the submissions, PURC Executive Secretary Dr. Shafic Suleman described the situation as a national crisis, saying galamsey is not only destroying the environment but also driving up the cost of utilities and threatening public health.
“Illegal mining has become a very critical problem that affects water supply, power distribution, and ultimately, tariff levels,” he said. “We must treat this as a national emergency and take bold, coordinated action to stop it before it cripples our essential services.”