Environmental Engineer Reveals Water Treatment Does Not Remove Heavy Metals

• An environmental engineer has said the water treatment process does not remove heavy metals from water
• Dr Juliet Ohemeng-Ntiamoah explained that the water treatment process only removes turbidity and pathogens, not heavy metals
• Her statement follows concerns about the increasing water pollution situation in the country as a result of galamsey

Ghanaians have another reason to be concerned following revelations that the treatment of polluted water for drinking does not remove heavy metals.

The US-based licensed professional engineer, Dr Juliet Ohemeng-Ntiamoah, stated that the standard water treatment process only addresses turbidity but cannot eliminate harmful metals, including mercury.

In an interview on JoyNews on October 5, 2024, she explained that water treatment plants merely focus on removing solid particles and eliminating bacteria and other pathogens.

The main endgame of water treatment is to make it clear and seemingly safe for use.

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"All these processes that I have described, none of them remove heavy metal,” she stressed.

Ohemeng-Ntiamoah thus emphasised that water sources contaminated with heavy metals should not be used as drinking water.

She was speaking in relation to the ongoing contamination of Ghana’s rivers by the ongoing galamsey menace.

Illegal miners have begun mining in rivers, while others have directed wastewater from their operations to rivers, increasing turbidity.

They often wash the gold ore with mercury and cyanide and channel the residue into the rivers, further polluting it with heavy metals.

Ohemeng-Ntiamoah explained that to make the water safe for drinking, an additional, often more expensive process must be added to remove the heavy metals.

She said the situation is direr than previously thought, and the government must act to stop the pollution of the country’s water sources.

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GWCL bemoans destruction of Pra River

The management of the Ghana Water Company Limited in the Central Region says it is facing challenges in supplying potable water to Cape Coast, Elmina, and surrounding communities.

The GWCL stated that its challenge stems from the inadequacy of raw water received at the Sekyere Hemang Water Treatment Plant (WTP) due to the activities of illegal miners on the River Pra.

The GWCL, in a press statement issued on Friday, August 30, 2024, stated that the pollution of the River Pra, particularly at the catchment area for abstraction, has greatly affected water intake, reducing it to the barest minimum.

The GWCL explained that about 60 percent of the catchment capacity is silted, which greatly affects raw water quality and the plant's output.

Fetish priests to protest against galamsey

YEN.com.gh reported that Kwaku Bonsam has announced that he and the Fetish Priests Association of Ghana are preparing to demonstrate against galamsey.

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The spiritualist, who is the association's president, told Asempa FM that they are very angry about the canker and ready to take drastic measures to curb it.

The fight against galamsey has intensified over the past month, with numerous protests being organised in Accra.

Source: YEN.com.gh