CREDIBLE information reaching Today indicates that the residents of Bunso, Osino and their environs in the Eastern Region are about to be hit with severe water crises.
The development, Today gathered, was as a result of the suspension of water supply by the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) from the Birim River of where the company takes its source of water from for supply to the people in these communities.
It has emerged that the activities of the prohibited small-scale illegal mining popularly known as galamsey have adversely affected the raw water quality of Birim River.
The disturbing trend, Today discovered, has compelled the company to suspend operations in Bunso and Osino.
Speaking in an interview with Today on Friday January 26, 2018, Public Relations Officer of GWCL of the Eastern Region, Mr. Kwadwo Daase confirmed the suspension of the water supply to the people in these areas due to the illegal activities of the small-scale miners.
According to him, although the government anti-galamsey taskforce, Operations Vanguard Team was working assiduously to clamp down on the activities of illegal miners, the recalcitrant miners were still engaging in their illicit mining activities.
“It seems that, the Operations Vanguard Team has achieved a lot in the catchment areas of Birim River, but we want to state that they have lots to do to deal with the illegal miners in these areas. We have had the information that some illegal miners are now working in the night on the blind side of the anti-galamsey taskforce,” he disclosed.
However, the ending illegal activities of the miners, Mr. Daase noted were seriously polluting the Birim River.
“The water quality from the source of the Birim River at this time round is not good for human consumption so we have no option than to temporary suspend the water supply to the people of Osino and Bunso communities in order to save lives from contracting water borne diseases,” he told Today
To effectively sustain the war against the illegal mining activities in the catchment areas of Birim River, Mr. Daase stressed the need for the chiefs, youth, traditional and opinion leaders in the Fanteakwa District of the Eastern Region to support the Operations Vanguard Team.