Human activities polluting Densu River

Accra, July 21, GNA - Human activity along the Densu River is the main threat to the Weija Dam, which supplies water to most parts of Accra.

Pollution of the river upstream around Nsawam and down stream has been affecting the water leading to a higher financial cost in its treatment.

Mr Ebenezer Gambrah, Chief Manager of Production of the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL), made this known when a Parliamentary Select Committee on Works and Housing visited the dam site to acquaint itself with the operations of the water treatment plant.

Mr Gambrah said debris; garbage and human waste are dumped into the river indiscriminately despite persistent warning and education on its effect on the dam.

He said encroachment of lands along the river and the activities of fishermen have also contributed to the pollution, and that people living around the river that were resettled and compensated, were returning to their former places of abode.

Mr Gambrah, however, said the company had the capability of treating the water to make it bacteria-free, colourless, odourless and tasteless.

He said the situation normally got worse during the dry season when the water flow was very low thereby increasing the pollution and the growing of algae.

The station currently pumps about 42 million gallons of water daily. It treats the water at a very high cost because it uses imported aluminium sulphate, chlorine and lime.

The Leader of the Parliamentary Committee, Bradford Adu, MP for Okere, commended the staff at the water treatment plant for the good work they were doing in the face constraints.

He said the Committee would see how best it could assist the Company by sending across their observations to Parliament. The delegation visited the dam site, filter station, the aerator (where the water is cascaded to remove odour and sulphate injected into it for flocculation to begin) and the Water Quality Assurance Department.