The Ghana Water Company Limited in Sunyani has threatened to shut down its treatment plant at Abesim if the activities of illegal miners at Adongo, in the Tano District of the Brong Ahafo Region, are not brought under control.

The company says the activities of the illegal miners is polluting the Tano River, where it takes it raw water from.

Mr Hanson Akutteh Mensah, the Brong Ahafo Regional Water Quality Assurance Manager of the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL), said they would force to shut down the plant if nothing is done to stop illegal mining.

According to Mr Mensah, Ghana Water Company Limited is spending more in treating water it takes from the Tano River, which is not sustainable; therefore it would be forced to shut down its operations if nothing is done to stop illegal mining at Adongo. The river has turned brown.

Mr Mensah said this when representatives from the Water Resources Commission, Ghana Water Company Limited, Environmental Protection Agency and the Ghana Police Service paid a familiarisation visit to the Adongo community to find out the impact of illegal mining on the community.

"You can see that the people are still around engaging in the illegal mining. This activity is impacting directly on the Tano River, which we treat at Abesim. The treatment system has been designed to take certain quantity of water; if it goes beyond that, we may be forced to shut down the plant because it cannot be treated anymore. REGSEC should flush this people out of here," Mr Mensah revealed.

Mr Solomon Danso-Ankamah, the Tano Basin Officer, expressed his worry about the situation at Adongo, and called on the authorities to act swiftly to save the situation.

"This river flows directly into the Tano River so whatever chemicals they release into the stream, it flows in the Tano River. So if it gets to a point where they cannot treat the water, they have to shut down the plant," Mr Danso-Ankamah noted.