Ghana Water Co. has shut down a water treatment plant supplying 75% of potable water to Tarkwa, the country’s largest mining hub, due to pollution caused by illegal gold mining, locally known as “galamsey.”
The facility draws water from the River Bonsa, which has been severely affected by the activities of small-scale, informal miners. While Ghana is Africa’s largest gold producer, surging global gold prices have fueled an illicit mining rush, with weak enforcement enabling widespread environmental degradation.
