Water Crisis Looms Again In Ho, Kpeve Areas

Residents of Ho, South Dayi, Afadzato South and adjoining communities are facing renewed water shortages following the shutdown of the Kpeve Water Treatment Plant by Ghana Water Limited (GWL) over severe pollution and siltation of its raw water source.

The shutdown comes after a private developer, BSK City Developers, allegedly ignored directives from the Volta Regional Coordinating Council ordering it to halt construction activities within the protected buffer zone around the plant’s intake point.

According to GWL, worsening environmental degradation around the facility has pushed turbidity levels in the raw water far beyond the plant’s treatment capacity, making operations technically unsafe.

“The current turbidity levels have exceeded the acceptable operational threshold required for safe and effective water treatment, thereby making continued production technically unsafe and operationally impossible,” the company stated.

Management explained that the situation has been aggravated by heavy rains and ongoing land disturbances caused by excavation, grading and construction works near the intake area at Kpeve Tornu in the Afadzato South District.

Speaking on JoyNews’ The Pulse on Monday, GWL’s Public Relations Officer, Mr Stanley Martey, said the plant had no option but to suspend operations because the water source had become excessively muddy.

According to him, the treatment facility was designed to process water with turbidity levels of up to about 25 NTU, with operators occasionally managing slightly higher levels.

However, recent readings exceeded 400 NTU.

“At the last point, we recorded over 400 NTU, which is way above the maximum threshold the treatment plant can treat. That is why we had to shut it down,” he stated.

GWL officials blamed the crisis on activities of BSK City Developers, which has been at the centre of a longstanding dispute with the company over construction works near the intake point.

During an inspection visit to the area in October 2025, Managing Director of Ghana Water Ltd, Mr Adam Mutawakilu, publicly warned about the dangers posed by the developer’s activities within the protected zone.

Officials said the developer allegedly continued work despite clear directives from the Volta Regional Coordinating Council to stop all activities within the water buffer zone.

According to GWL, the company had graded nearby hills, excavated large portions of land and dumped loose topsoil dangerously close to the water source, exposing the area to severe erosion during rainfall.

With natural vegetation destroyed, runoff water now carries huge volumes of sediment directly into the intake channel, resulting in massive siltation and muddy water conditions that exceed the plant’s operational capacity.

Management said the current crisis confirms earlier warnings issued about the consequences of human activities around critical water infrastructure.

“The situation clearly demonstrates the dangers associated with encroachment and environmentally harmful activities around critical water infrastructure,” Mr Adam Mutawakilu said during a media interview in October 2025.

The company warned that the problem extends beyond rainfall alone, stressing that recreational developments and human activities around the intake area could further compromise water quality through waste disposal, debris generation and pollution.

It said plastics, food waste and other pollutants from activities around the water body could worsen contamination and siltation levels over time.

GWL noted that the destruction of water buffer zones poses a major threat to raw water quality since vegetation around water bodies naturally filters runoff, controls erosion and prevents sediments from entering rivers and reservoirs.

However, increasing encroachment around the Kpeve intake point appears to have significantly weakened those natural protections.

The Kpeve Water Treatment Plant supplies potable water to thousands of residents in the Volta Region and has an installed production capacity of 18,181 cubic metres per day.

The repeated shutdowns are expected to disrupt water supply to homes, schools and health facilities while placing enormous pressure on the company’s infrastructure and finances.

Mr Mutawakilu cautioned that if encroachment around the intake area continued unchecked, Ghana Water Ltd could eventually be forced to suspend water production for longer periods during the rainy season.

Beyond the operational challenges, the company warned that the crisis was evolving into a major water security threat for the Volta Region.

GWL said failure to protect the Kpeve water source could result in long-term environmental damage with devastating consequences for public health and economic activities.

The company has therefore called for urgent intervention from traditional authorities, political leaders, environmental regulators and the Ministry of Works, Housing and Water Resources.

It also urged chiefs and opinion leaders within the affected communities to help protect the water buffer zone from further encroachment.

State institutions, including the Environmental Protection Agency, National Security and local assemblies, have also been asked to enforce existing regulations and immediately halt all harmful activities around the intake area.

Meanwhile, Mr Stanley Martey, Chief Manager for Public Relations and Communication, said technical teams were closely monitoring the situation and operations would resume only after turbidity levels dropped to safe operational thresholds.

Consumers have been advised to use available water judiciously as uncertainty grows over how long the shutdown may last.