Public Relations Officer of the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) in the Central Region, Nana Yaw Barima Barnie, has disclosed a shift in the chemicals used to treat water from the Pra River for public consumption.
According to Mr. Barnie, aluminum sulfate, commonly known as alum, is no longer being used by the GWCL due to its ineffectiveness in producing clean water.
This development is attributed to the heavy pollution of the river caused by the activities of illegal miners in the area.
In a media interview, Mr. Barnie stated that the GWCL has now resorted to using polyelectrolyte, which has significantly increased the company’s financial burden.
“River Pra has been polluted to the extent that aluminum sulfate is no longer effective in treating water from River Pra.
But we need to treat the water anyway, and so we have gone in for another chemical called polyelectrolyte or polymer,” he explained.
The Public Relations Officer further noted that using polymers for water treatment is four times more expensive than using aluminum sulfate. “It means that our treatment cost has gone up,” he added.
Aluminum sulfate is a chemical compound that is primarily used in water treatment due to its ability to cause impurities to clump together, making it easier to remove them from the water.
