The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has unveiled a comprehensive plan to clean up water bodies polluted as a result of illegal mining, commonly referred to as galamsey.
The agency has already initiated the process of collecting water samples and is evaluating proposals from various companies for the cleanup and rehabilitation efforts.
According to Professor Nana Ama Brown Klutse, the CEO of the EPA, this initiative has received strong support from the president and is anticipated to require billions of cedis in funding.
“We view this as a critical emergency to restore our water bodies that have been tainted by galamsey activities. The EPA is committed to cleaning them up, and we have begun collecting samples while reviewing proposals for rehabilitation,” she explained.
The primary goal of the clean-up initiative is to improve water quality so that the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) can have reliable sources for public use. Currently, GWCL is facing challenges in processing contaminated water.
“Our aim is to enhance the quality of water for GWCL to continue their treatment processes. We plan to execute the initial stages of cleaning first,” Prof. Klutse added.
In addition to revitalising water bodies, the EPA intends to reclaim lands that have suffered degradation due to illegal mining practices. The agency has already begun this process, and with adequate funding secured, a full-scale operation will be implemented soon.
Ghana continues to face significant challenges with water pollution linked to galamsey, which has compromised the safety of multiple water sources.