The proposed 280% increase in water tariffs is not just an economic injustice, it is an admission of the government’s failure in the fight against illegal mining, widely known as galamsey. This is the verdict of the Ghana Coalition Against Galamsey (GCAG) following President Mahama’s recent comments on the menace.
The 280% proposed increment, the coalition says, is not just staggering but also represents a national confession that Ghana has lost the battle against illegal mining (galamsey).
The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) is currently considering a desperate request from the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL), which says it can no longer shoulder the skyrocketing costs of treating poisoned rivers and streams.
But civil society groups argue that this is more than a request for higher tariffs. It is an invoice being forced on ordinary Ghanaians for a disaster they did not create.
Rivers Turned into Mud Pits
In a press statement on Monday, the coalition painted a picture of how the scale of devastation is chilling. The Managing Director of GWCL revealed that turbidity levels at the Kwanyarko Water Treatment Plant have hit an astonishing 32,000 NTU. This signals that the water’s cloudiness is so extreme that purification costs have become unsustainable.
The crisis is not isolated. The Bunso Water Treatment Plant has been out of operation for nearly a year. The Kyebi facility is barely functioning and frequently shuts down. Across Ghana, rivers that once supplied clean, fresh water have been turned into toxic pits by the relentless activities of illegal miners.
“The MD of GWCL reported the turbidity of the water at the Kwanyarko Water Treatment Plant to have hit 32,000 NTU. To give a few more examples, the Bunso water treatment plant has been shut down for almost a year now. The Kyebi water treatment facility is operating at bare minimum capacity and occasionally shuts down,” part of the statement read.
Paying for Poison
For a country with many households living from hand-to-mouth, the coalition argues that a 280% tariff increase is unthinkable.
The coalition says that the proposed hike amounts to economic punishment or injustice for citizens. To them, this is a cruel transfer of responsibility from failed regulators and emboldened illegal miners to already struggling Ghanaian households.
For the coalition, every cedi added to the water bill due to the activities of illegal mining is a reminder that the state has failed at the galamsey fight and Ghanaians are paying for it.
“The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) is considering a request from Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) for a staggering 280% increase in water tariffs, directly due to the pollution caused by illegal and irresponsible mining. This is not a request for a tariff increase; it is an admission of catastrophic failure. It is an invoice being presented to the Ghanaian people for a mess we did not create,” GCAG remarked.
A National Failure
The pressure group says this crisis lays bare the collapse of environmental governance. Despite years of promises, task forces, and military crackdowns, galamsey continues to devastate Ghana’s rivers. T
The fact that GWCL must now seek astronomical tariff hikes is being described as nothing less than an admission of catastrophic failure.
“We are no longer just battling an environmental crime,” the coalition stressed. “We are fighting for economic justice and the very survival of our society.”
The implications, they say, are far-reaching as citizens are expected to bear the cost of higher tariffs. This means rising costs for households, schools, hospitals, and businesses, adding fresh pressure to an already struggling economy.
Experts warn that food security is also at risk, as polluted water sources cripple agriculture and fisheries.
For the coalition, what was once seen as an environmental crisis has now erupted into an economic and social emergency, exposing the harsh truth that Ghana’s inability to stop galamsey is threatening not just rivers and forests, but the very livelihoods and dignity of its people.
