More than 800,000 residents across eight districts in the Central Region are grappling with a severe water crisis as illegal mining activities devastate the River Ayensu, the main source of supply for the Agona Kwanyarko Water Works.
For the past eight months, alleged galamsey operators at Anum Papam in the Eastern Region have polluted the river, rendering it untreatable for potable water distribution by the Ghana Water Company. The situation has plunged households, schools, and businesses into distress.
The worst-hit areas include Awutu Senya West, Awutu Senya East Municipality, Gomoa East, Gomoa Central, Agona West, Gomoa West, Agona East, and Effutu. Residents lament that the lack of clean water has disrupted education, forced small businesses to shut down, and even led to reported deaths.
Communities such as Agona Asafo and Agona Kwesi Twii-Krom, which rely solely on the River Ayensu, have appealed directly to President John Dramani Mahama to urgently intervene and halt the illegal activities destroying Ghana’s water bodies.
