The Executive Secretary of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC), Dr Shafic Suleman, has called on traditional authorities in Kyebi to take urgent action to halt illegal mining activities polluting water bodies and threatening the supply of safe drinking water.
He said illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, around water catchment areas was causing severe environmental degradation and affecting the quality of raw water supplied to treatment facilities.
Dr Suleman made the appeal during a media engagement in Koforidua after leading a working tour of utility facilities in the Eastern Region, including offices of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) and the Kyebi Water Treatment Plant.
He disclosed that the plant's main source of water, a mountain spring located about seven kilometres from active illegal mining sites, had been heavily polluted.
According to him, the pollution had increased turbidity and iron levels in the water, placing considerable pressure on the treatment facility and affecting its ability to process water effectively.
Dr Suleman stressed that tackling the problem required a collective effort, urging traditional authorities and local communities to take responsibility for protecting water sources against further destruction.
On electricity supply, he identified persistent power fluctuations, particularly during peak hours between 7 pm and 8 pm, as another major challenge affecting water treatment and distribution in Koforidua and Kyebi.
He said the Commission had engaged ECG management to prioritise electricity supply management in the Eastern Region during the evening peak period to ensure greater operational stability.
Dr Suleman also highlighted interventions by the PURC to address electricity distribution challenges in other parts of the region.
He explained that persistent low-voltage problems in Akim Oda, largely resulting from overloaded transformers and deteriorating distribution lines, had prompted the Commission to work through the Energy Commission to improve power supply in Ofoase, Amantia and Akokoaso.
The intervention, he said, had improved electricity supply for approximately 8,000 consumers.
He further disclosed that PURC, in collaboration with ECG, had replaced and upgraded overloaded and faulty transformers in seven communities, including Asenanu, Asaman-Tamfoe and Asamankese, to meet growing electricity demand.
Reviewing the Commission's performance over the past year, Dr Suleman said the PURC received approximately 1,330 consumer complaints in the Eastern Region, out of which 1,303 had been resolved.
The complaints mainly involved service delivery challenges, including erratic electricity supply, low voltage, billing discrepancies and metering problems.
