Dr. Clifford Braimah, Managing Director of the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL), has warned that Ghana could soon face a severe water crisis unless urgent action is taken to address rising inefficiencies in water treatment.
Speaking in an interview, Dr. Braimah voiced serious concern about the excessive water loss during treatment, noting that it has significantly surpassed acceptable limits.
Dr. Braimah highlighted that the acceptable water loss in treatment plants is about 5%, but current losses are between 35% and 50%.
He called this condition “very harmful to our health” and stressed that the plant is at a high risk, rendering the water unsafe to drink.
He cautioned that if the situation remains unchanged, Ghana could soon face a severe shortage of safe drinking water.
“We might not even have water,” Dr. Braimah cautioned. “The process losses that we are supposed to have on our plant should be 5% or less, but now we are having between 35% to 50% process loss”.
He further elaborated on the severity of the situation, noting, “Instead of having 95% of the water going to customers, we are only getting 50% to 55%. The volume of water getting to customers is reducing”.
Additionally, Dr. Braimah emphasized the rising costs of maintaining the currently reduced water supply.
“Unfortunately, to even get this 50% or 55%, you have to use more chemicals—more expensive chemicals—to achieve that. Otherwise, you will not get that percentage,” he said.
He stressed the urgent need for immediate action, stating, “Our rhetoric needs to go beyond the political jargons to the reality that citizens must take control over their lives”.
He also noted that while the current water treatment process remains effective at removing harmful elements, the ongoing accumulation of pollutants could eventually overwhelm the system, “But it does not mean that once it continues to accumulate, we are not going to get to the levels that we might not be able to do professional treatment to work,” Dr. Braimah explained.
He charged Ghanaians to take the matter seriously and work to avoid more pollution, which could lead to levels that the treatment system cannot handle. “The caution is very critical for us to take up and ensure that we do not continue to pollute, so that we will get to levels that are not tolerable to the system, that can create problems for us,” he said.
Responding to how long it might take for the situation to reach a critical level, Dr Braimah admitted that it is hard to predict. “It will be difficult; we have not done those analyses, and I am not in the position to put out something that I have not assessed,” he said, suggesting that the Water Resources Commission might have more detailed information.
The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) has provided clarification on the reasons behind the water supply shortages in the Central and Western regions.
