In a rare and emotional scene at the Kwanyako Water Treatment Plant in the Central Region, the Ashanti Regional Communications Director of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Paul Kwabena Yandoh, went down on his knees, pleading with President John Mahama to take urgent action against illegal mining popularly known as galamsey.
Yandoh said the plant has become a casualty of the galamsey menace, with polluted rivers making water treatment increasingly difficult and unreliable.
He warned that thousands of Ghanaians risk losing access to safe water if the situation is not addressed immediately.
“Mr. President, this is no time for politics. Your own campaign promise was to declare a state of emergency on galamsey. The time is now, because our people are suffering, and our water is disappearing,” Yandoh appealed.
Mr. Yandoh made the statement during a press briefing at Kwanyako, where Miracle Aboagye, Director of Communication for Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, led a media team to Kwanyako, Mankrong and other communities in the Agona East District to expose the impact of galamsey, following the Minister of Government Communication at the
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Presidency, Felix Ofosu Kwakye’s call for evidence-based discussions on the canker.
He stressed that illegal mining is not just an environmental crisis but a direct threat to public health, food security, and the future of the nation’s children.
Yandoh’s plea adds to a growing chorus of voices demanding urgent government intervention.
With both political and religious leaders pressing for decisive steps, pressure is mounting on the presidency to deliver on its promise before the galamsey menace pushes Ghana’s water crisis beyond repair.
During their visit, the team discovered that community members were forced to boil and chemically treat water before use.
The residents in these affected areas therefore appealed to the President and stakeholders to intervene and find a solution to the crisis, which has left them suffering since the shutdown of the Kwanyako water treatment plant.
