In order to purify water, Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) has been forced to use polymer in place of alum due to 'galamsey' activities to the company's director of communications, Stanley Martey.

He explained that the turbidity levels in the water bodies have exceeded 10,000 NTU as a result of galamsey, rendering alum ineffective in the treatment process.

Speaking to the media on Sunday, “Initially we were using alum but now the alum is now almost ineffective and we are now using polymers.”

According to him, the use of more dangerous chemicals to treat water is affecting the staff health-wise as they inhale the chemicals.

This comes after illegal mining activities are destroying the river bodies in the country.

Meanwhile, the Ghana Water Company in October last year noted that the cost of producing water has increased tenfold as a result of illegal mining activities, hence Management has resolved to pass the cost to the consumer.

The Company says it is burdened with spending huge sums of money on chemicals to treat high turbidity levels of raw water at various extraction stations.

Managing Director of the Company with the media he noted that after a recent tour with the Sanitation Minister, Cecilia Abena Dapaah to some mining communities in the Ashanti Region to assess the state of water bodies, it is evident that all stakeholders must join forces to chase out “galamseyers”.

However, given the surge in the cost of processing water for public consumption Mr Braimah says Ghana Water Company has no choice but to pass on the cost to the consumer.

“They (PURC) might not give us full cost but a lot of activities have changed. All those parameters would have to be considered in reviewing the tariff as long as we continue to carry out some of these activities.

“Let the quality of water get to the level the Ghana Water Company will take, then the cost will be taken out, your tariff will come down, then the other ones we cannot control, we maintain them. But if the ones that you can control, the self-inflicted ones, for me as the Managing Director the cost must be passed on”, he explained.