Ghana Water Limited has called for the immediate halt of encroachment activities around the Kpeve water intake point, warning that continued construction and other human activities are threatening water production for thousands of residents in the area.

The appeal follows the shutdown of the Kpeve Water Treatment Plant after turbidity levels in the Volta Lake rose sharply beyond the plant’s treatment capacity, cutting off water supply to several communities in the enclave.

Speaking on JoyNews' The Pulse on Monday, May 18, the utility company’s Public Relations Officer, Stanley Martey, said the situation had become critical and could persist if authorities fail to intervene.

“That encroachment and activities around the enclave must cease henceforth so that we can continue producing water for the people,” he said.

"Water is life, water is health. It is important that we keep the people supplied with good water so they can remain healthy and productive. We have to choose between supplying water for the people and allowing a few individuals to carry out activities that affect the source,” he added.

Mr Martey explained that the plant had been forced to shut down because the raw water had become excessively muddy due to disturbances around the intake point. He said the treatment facility, designed to process water up to about 25 NTU, recently recorded turbidity levels above 400 NTU, making treatment impossible.

He warned that there is no immediate substitute to meet the needs of all affected communities, adding that “the closest area where we can get water from is Sogakope, but there is no pipeline that can serve the Kpeve enclave directly. A tanker can only do about two trips in a day, and we don’t even have our own fleet of tankers to serve the population,” he said.

Mr Martey further indicated that the company had earlier raised concerns about the activities around the intake point after a similar incident occurred in October last year.

“We warned that if the encroachment around the intake point continued, these are the challenges we were going to face. Anytime it happens, there is nothing Ghana Water can do but shut down the plant,” he stated.