A resident of Tarkwa, Tony Nkrumah Boateng, has raised concerns over the destruction of the Bonsa River by illegal mining activities, which has left many communities without access to potable water.

Speaking in an interview on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem on Thursday, September 18, 2025, and monitored by GhanaWeb, he said the river, which serves as the main water source for Tarkwa and surrounding areas, has been completely destroyed.

“We have gotten to a stage where we cannot do anything about it again. The water we depend on, the Bonsa River, is gone. It has been turned into a galamsey pit,” he lamented.

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According to him, the situation has forced residents to rely on boreholes and private water tankers since the Ghana Water Company can no longer extract water from the river.

“For some of us who are not engineers, the layman’s view is that what we are seeing now is sand and rocks. The water that the Ghana Water Company is supposed to extract for treatment is no longer there,” he explained.

Boateng noted that although authorities, including the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), the Western Regional Minister, and the Member of Parliament for the area, are aware of the situation, little has been done to provide relief.

“If you are looking for water and it is not there, then it means all you will see is sand. On the Bonsa River, when you drive from Takoradi towards Tarkwa, you will see a little water in town, but just 200 meters after that, the river is completely dry,” he said.

He added that the lack of water has left thousands of residents struggling, with many spending heavily on alternative supplies.

“The Ghana Water Company has not taken responsibility to give us water. For instance, my water tank takes 700 litres, and to fill it which lasts about three weeks is very expensive and is draining our money,” he complained.

Boateng also questioned the country’s priorities in the face of the crisis.

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“We need to ask ourselves as a municipality: do we need water, or do we need gold? Because the illegal miners are exploiting the gold deposits, but authorities seem unconcerned. If this continues, it will become a big worry for us all,” he said.

MRA/AE

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