The Ghana Water Limited (GWL) and the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) have blamed illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, for their proposed over 200 percent increase in utility tariffs under the 2025–2030 Multi-Year Tariff Order.
According to GWL, the heavy pollution of water bodies by galamsey operations has drastically raised the cost of water treatment, draining the company’s finances.
The ECG also reported that parts of its power distribution network, especially those passing through forest reserves, have been destroyed by illegal mining activities — causing frequent outages and higher maintenance costs.
Director of Communications at ECG, William Boateng, revealed during public hearings in the Ashanti Region that illegal miners have dug dangerously close to roads and trenches, weakening the bases of electric poles.
“Each time it rains, the poles collapse because the soil has been eroded. When that happens, several poles fall at once, and it becomes very costly to fix,” he said, adding that the company also loses energy already purchased but undelivered to customers.
Both utilities stressed that tackling environmental damage from galamsey is essential to maintaining affordable and reliable water and power supply for Ghanaians.
Citinewsroom
