Former Member of Parliament for Anyaa Sowutuom, Dr. Dickson Adomako Kissi, has urged the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) to take responsibility for the rising cost of water treatment, following Ghana Water Limited’s (GWL) proposal to increase tariffs by 281 percent.
GWL is seeking regulatory approval to raise water tariffs from GH¢5.28 per cubic metre to GH¢20.09, citing heavy debts, rising operational expenses, and the huge cost of treating water polluted by illegal mining activities, commonly known as galamsey.
But Dr. Adomako Kissi insists ordinary Ghanaians should not be made to pay for damage caused by the mining sector.
He argued that GoldBod, which profits from gold purchases across both legal and illegal operations, should shoulder the financial responsibility for restoring polluted water bodies.
“GoldBod has made huge sums of money and publicly flaunted its revenue. Why should the average Ghanaian pay for water treatment? A portion of those earnings should be allocated to fixing our water systems. The real beneficiaries of the destruction of our water bodies are in the gold and mining industry,” he stressed.
He further described GWL’s tariff proposal as unfair, saying it wrongly shifts the burden onto consumers who played no part in the destruction of water sources.
“All the gold, whether mined legally or illegally, ends up with GoldBod. It is only right that they pay for the damage caused, not innocent households,” he added.
Meanwhile, GWL has defended the proposed tariff hike, arguing that aside from pollution linked to galamsey, exchange rate volatility and the rising cost of imported equipment and treatment chemicals have worsened its financial difficulties.
