Western Regional Minister orders GWCL to protect Daboase water project buffer zone

The Western Regional Minister, Joseph Nelson, has directed the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) to urgently demarcate and protect buffer zones around the Daboase water treatment plant.

The directive aims to safeguard the €70 million water expansion project from encroachment by landowners who claim ignorance of the area’s restricted status.

The Daboase plant, built in the late 1960s with a capacity of six million gallons per day, alongside the Inchaban plant (four million gallons), currently struggles to meet the water demands of Sekondi-Takoradi and surrounding communities.

Illegal mining activities have increased turbidity, reducing water output dramatically—from six million gallons per day to just over 16,000 gallons.

Encroachment on the buffer zones further threatens the water source, particularly during the dry season.

Western Regional Production Manager of GWCL, Gideon Asare Annor, noted:

“As you can see, the buffer zone has been completely encroached upon. This could cause the river to dry up faster during the dry season, rendering the 22 million gallons per day treatment plant idle.”

During his familiarization tour of the plant, Minister Nelson directed GWCL to install signposts clearly marking buffer zones and warned that any disregard for the demarcation would result in legal action.

“The chiefs who sold land within the buffer zone claim ignorance. I urge the District Chief Executive to make it clear that such actions are illegal and endanger the region’s water supply,” he said.

The €70 million expansion project, launched in May 2022 by the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources and GWCL, is being executed by Austrian firm Strabag.

Project Manager Vlad Falup reported 86% completion, with final works on a high-lift pumping station underway and a projected finish date of November 7, 2025.

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