The Western Regional Minister, Joseph Nelson, has ordered Ghana Water Company (GWCL) to urgently demarcate the Daboase Water Treatment Plant'(DWTP) buffer zones and immediately halt illegal activities within the zone.
The move is aimed at protecting the 70 million Euros water expansion project, which will supply 22 million gallons per day to Sekondi-Takoradi and surrounding communities, from encroachment by landowners feigning ignorance.
The Daboase water treatment plant, built in the late 1960s with a capacity of six million gallons/day, and the Inchaban plant, with four million gallons, struggle to meet demand for Sekondi-Takoradi and surrounding areas.
Illegal mining activities have exacerbated water turbidity, reducing production from 6 million gallons/day to just above 16,000 gallons/day.
The water supply is further threatened by encroachment on buffer zones protecting the water source, especially during the dry season.
Gideon Asare Annor, the western regional production manager of the Ghana Water Company Limited told news men “as you can see, the buffer zone has been completely encroached upon, which means this river will likely dry up faster than usual during the dry season”.
Ideally, the buffer zone he further noted, should start further up to prevent runoff and protect the water source. Western Regional Minister Joseph Nelson, during his familiarization visit to the Daboase treatment plant, directed Ghana Water Company to demarcate buffer zones urgently.
The Minister also instructed local chiefs to halt any planned activities within the designated zones.”The chiefs who sold land within the buffer zone claim ignorance, saying they didn’t know it was a restricted area. To prevent further encroachment, I suggest installing signposts to clearly mark the buffer zone as a no-go area,” he said.
“I urge the District Chief Executive to address this issue with the chiefs”, he added, emphasising that their actions are illegal and threaten the water supply for the metropolis and surrounding communities.
The Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources and GWCL launched the seventy million Euros water Expansion project in Sekondi-Takoradi in May 2022.
Austrian firm Strabag was contracted to build a 22 million gallons per day Daboase water treatment plant.
During the Western Regional Minister’s visit, Strabag reported 86% completion, with the whole project expected to be completed on November 7, 2025.
Vlad Falup, the Project manager for the Strabag Engineering explained that, “all main structures are complete. We’re currently working on the high-lift pumping station, which houses the pumps that will transport water to Inchaban and other pumping stations”.
