V/R: GWL Kpeve Treatment Plant faces shutdown as developer defies stop work order – MD

Managing Director (MD) of Ghana Water Limited (GWL), Mr. Adam Mutawakilu, has expressed concern over the continuous encroachment by BSK City Developers at the Kpeve Water Treatment Plant in the Volta Region.

This is despite an official directive ordering the company to halt all construction activities near the facility's intake point.

Mr. Mutawakilu, who led a team from GWL to inspect the affected area at Kpeve Tornu in the Afadzato South District, said the private developer's defiance of the suspension order issued by the Volta Regional Coordinating Council had worsened the situation, forcing the treatment plant to shut down intermittently whenever it rains.

He revealed that the construction activities, which include grading a nearby hill and dumping excavated soil near the water intake, had caused severe siltation and elevated turbidity levels far beyond what the plant can treat.

The water's turbidity, which is normally about five Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTU), has sharply increased to around 140 NTU since the onset of the construction activities, making treatment extremely difficult and forcing periodic shutdowns of the plant.

Mr Mutawakilu noted that, “When it rains, the situation gets worse, and we are compelled to shut down the plant for three days to protect our pumps and filters from damage.”

He explained that Ghana Water Ltd. had exhausted all administrative processes to stop the developer's operations.

“We wrote letters to the minister, and subsequently, myself and the Executive Secretary of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission met the minister to discuss how this project can be halted to prevent further siltation of the intake,” he said.

According to the MD, “the minister acted swiftly and directed the Volta Regional Minister to hold a stakeholder meeting, after which a letter was issued to suspend all activities within the buffer zone. But sadly, the contractor ignored the directive and continued construction.”

The GWL Managing Director noted that the continuous violation of the stop-work order was not only undermining the authority of state institutions but also threatening the sustainability of a critical national asset that supplies water to thousands of people across Ho, South Dayi, and Afadzato South Districts.

“The cost of replacing damaged pumps and filters is enormous, and with our existing revenue challenges as a company, we cannot afford to have a private developer destroy public infrastructure,” he said.

Mr. Mutawakilu appealed to National Security to take immediate steps to stop the ongoing construction activities and ensure that the affected area was reclaimed and restored to its natural state to protect the water source.