By: Michael Petit Mawugbe (Efo Mawugbe)
A Private Developer BSK City has encroached on the on the buffer zone of Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) water treatment plant at Kpeve causing the plant to shut down occasionally due to massive siltation arising out of the construction.
This came to light when the Managing Director of GWCL, Adam Mutawakilu paid a working visit to the Kpeve head station on Wednesday.
Managing Director of GWCL, Adam Mutawakilu speaking to the media
Speaking to the media, the MD expressed worry over the development which he said has a high propensity to environmentally destroying the dam at the intake point if allowed to stand.
Mr. Wakilu revealed that the ongoing construction has shot the turbidity of the water from 5 to 140, a situation he said forces GWCL to ocassionally shut down the treatment plant.
The encroachment site by BSK City
According to him, the developer’s activities are causing severe siltation, which is affecting the plant’s ability to produce water adding that the developer’s actions are not only affecting the water supply but also posing a risk to the country’s water security.
He maintained that despite a letter from the Volta Regional Security Council to the developer to stop work, he is instead developing with speed and alacrity.
“The developer, despite being directed to stop work on the project, has continued to accelerate the development, leading to increased siltation and turbidity in the water.
This has resulted in the plant being shut down for three days, denying people access to water and revenue to GWCL
GWCL is waiting for National Security to take action and reclaim the land.
The company is also calling for the protection of its water intake points to prevent future occurrences”, Mr. Mutawakilu emphasized.
The Managing Director stressed that the company cannot continue to operate under these conditions and needs the support of national security to ensure the uninterrupted supply of water to the people.
At the site, this Journalist reports that BSK City, the private developer, who is said to own that part of land including the buffer zone has undertaken some grading activity on the hill by the banks of the intake of the Plant and ended up filling part of the intake with the removed topsoil from the hill.
The MD inspecting some new pumps at the Kpeve Treatment Plant
The development in the buffer zone is an upshot to the challenges bedevilling the Company with a frequent breakdown of its pumping machine – an old remaining machine, existing out of three at the headworks, which was installed in 1993.
The existing challenge was denying Ho and its adjoining environs of the resource, and the destruction of the intake point could be far-fetched for the large clientele in the value chain and could jeopardise service delivery.
Source:www.senaradioonline.com
