Tano river water safe to drink – Ghana Water disputes NADMO’s claims

The water in the Tano River, is safe to drink, despite Monday’s accident in which a truck carrying battery acid plunged into the river.

The assurance was given by the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL).

On Monday, the Public Relations Officer of GWCL, Mr. Stanley Martey, told reporters there is no risk to life.

“The accident occurred beyond the intake area of our treatment plant and the Tano River serves three areas and so there was that threat. But we want everybody to be rest assured that it is not affecting us in anyway”, he said.

He further clarified, “We continuously check the acidity and the alkalinity of the water on an hourly basis and even if it passes through our system we still make sure it is neutralized”.

Nonetheless, Mr. Martey added that consumers should take the normal precautions when consuming water from unprotected sources such as rivers.

“Those who live downstream who use raw water from the Tano River may suffer the consequences. If the water is more acidic, it could affect aquatic and human life”, he said.

Hundreds of fishes, crocodiles have died in the River Tano, one of Ghana’s biggest water bodies, following the motor accident, disaster management officials confirmed on Monday.

About 15km stretch of the river – which also serves as a major source of drinking water for communities in parts of the Bono and Ashanti Regions – have been affected.

This was after a Burkinabe registered truck carrying wet battery cells from Accra to Tamale, plunged into the river at Tanoso in the Bono East Region Monday, the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) confirmed to Dailymailgh.com.

It is estimated that more than five communities have been affected as NADMO declares the river is not safe for human consumption – at least for now.

NADMO warning

“We got signals this morning that the river has been polluted and what we are doing is that we have moved in to advise communities along the Tano river bank to stay away from patronizing the water. We have seen crocodiles and fishes dying”, said the Offinso-North NADMO Coordinator, Mamoah Elijah.

“So residents at Tanoso in the Bono Region coming down to Chiraa, Bechem and Duayaw Nkwanta, have been advised to temporarily patronize water from safe sources including existing boreholes”, he indicated.

SOURCE: Jonathan Ofori, Daily Mail GH