Utility service providers have raised serious concerns over the growing impact of illegal mining (galamsey) on their operations, warning that continued environmental destruction is undermining their ability to provide reliable services to consumers.

At a public hearing on proposed utility tariff adjustments organised by the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) in Kumasi, representatives from the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL), the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), and the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) described the situation as critical and called for urgent national intervention.

According to Seth Eric Atiapah, GWCL’s Chief Manager for Special Duties, the company’s water treatment plants are under immense strain due to the alarming levels of pollution in raw water sources, mainly caused by illegal mining activities.

He revealed that turbidity levels — the measure of how cloudy or dirty water is — have skyrocketed far beyond acceptable limits at several major plants.

The Odaso Water Treatment Plant in Obuasi, designed to handle up to 100 Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTU), is now recording 15,000 NTU.

The Konongo Plant, also designed for 100 NTU, has reached 12,000 NTU and has even run dry in recent weeks.

The Sekyere Hemang Plant has peaked at an alarming 18,000 NTU, forcing temporary shutdowns.

Mr Atiapah said the pollution has spread to other facilities, including Winneba, Daboase, Kwanyako, and Kibi, with some plants shutting down completely due to the severity of contamination.

To safeguard public health, he announced that the company plans to establish 24 new water quality laboratories across the country, three of which will be located in the Ashanti Region, to strengthen testing before water distribution.

The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) also expressed concern over the destructive impact of galamsey on power distribution infrastructure.

Moses Okley, ECG’s General Manager for Financial Planning, said illegal mining activities have destabilised electricity poles in areas such as Manso Nkwanta, New Edubiase, Dunkwa, and Obuasi, causing frequent power outages and forcing the company to relocate poles from heavily mined zones.

Similarly, GRIDCo’s Director of Corporate Strategy, Samuel Kuo Aquah, warned that illegal mining poses a serious threat to transmission lines and towers, with the company now resorting to building retaining walls around affected structures to prevent collapses.

Responding to the concerns, Dr. Shafic Suleman, Executive Secretary of the PURC, described galamsey as a “very critical problem” that not only threatens environmental sustainability but also directly affects utility tariffs and service quality.

He called on all relevant authorities and anti-galamsey task forces to intensify efforts to curb illegal mining, stressing that the issue must be treated as a national emergency given its far-reaching impact on water, power, and public health.