The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) has stated that it has identified cancer-causing chemicals in River Pra in the Western Region.
The Head of Communication at the GWCL, Stanley Martey explained to Citi News that those live threatening chemicals-cyanide and mercury are released into the water body through galamsey operations in the area.
River Pra serves as a prime source of drinking water for residents of most communities in the Western Region.
There have been calls from environmentalists and locals living in communities along the river over this looming danger.
Speaking to Citi News on the development, the Head of Communication at the GWCL, Stanley Martey indicated that the problem is taking a toll on their operations since the company is forced to allocate 30% of its budget to buy more chemicals to neutralize these substances.
“This illegal mining has been going on for a very long time and it pollutes the water to the extent that the levels are quite high so it is becoming very difficult for the Ghana Water Company.
This is increasing our cost of production because we have had to use more chemicals to neutralise the waterbody to make it safe for the consumption,” said Martey.
“We have identified traces of cyanide and mecury in the Pra River and there is a suspicion that it is not only the Pra River but all other rivers that galamsey operations are ongoing currently in the country.
Source: citifmonline.com
