An expert in water management has expressed worry that illegal prospecting for alluvial gold in the Pra River was threatening the Cape Coast water expansion project. Mr Mac-Doe Hanyabui, Project Manager of the Ghana Water Company (GWC), said some people within the catchment area, were using mercury and other chemicals to mine alluvial gold and this would pollute and affect the quality of water produced from the river. He said these when newsmen visited the site to ascertain the progress of work on Wednesday. The Dutch Government under the ORET/MILEV Programme was funding the project, which was being executed at Sekyere-Heman in the Mpohor-Wassa East District. Mr Hanyabui said the project, which began in November 2005, was aimed at pumping 30,000 cubic meters of water daily. He explained that the efforts would augment water supply to Cape Coast and its environs and improve water supply to the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem District. Mr Hanyabui said water supply to these areas would begin in January next year but the plant would become fully operational by June the same year. The project involves the construction of an intake plant on the Pra River, the building of a treatment plant and the laying of about 60 kilometers of pipe-lines. Electricity would be connected to the area and the Brimsu plant, which supplies water to Cape Coast and its environs, would be rehabilitated. Mr Hanyabui said the GWC would lay new pipe-lines to improve water supply to the Kissi, Abrem-Agona and Komenda areas as provide stand pipes within smaller communities in the district. The Project Manager said with the rehabilitation of the Brimsu plant, provision of water to Cape Coast and its environs has increased from 11,360 cubic meters a day to 29, 200 cubic metres. Mr Hanyabui, accompanied by Mr Paul Breukers, Project Engineer for Ballast Nedam, contractors of the project, conducted the reporters round the plant to explain the processes of water production. When the GNA contacted Mr Hanyabui on Thursday following reports of lack of water supply to the Central Regional Hospital at Cape Coast, he said the problem was at the block of flats provided by the Ministry of Health for staff at the hospital. He explained that the expansion of water supply to the flats was given out on contract by the ministry to a private contractor and not to the GWC. Source: GNA