Government has begun piloting Ionic Nano Copper technology, a water treatment method designed to purify polluted water from small-scale mining sites.
The liquid blue technology, which can cleanse contaminated water within 24 hours, is being tested on the Birim River in the Eastern Region.
Speaking at the pilot launch at Akyem Adukrom on Tuesday, Professor Nana Ama Browne Klutse, Chief Executive Officer of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), said the technology costs 200,000 dollars and could treat approximately one kilometre stretch of polluted water.
She said the Government planned to make it mandatory for small-scale miners to acquire the technology to treat wastewater before discharge.
The EPA is collaborating with the Ghana Standards Authority, Water Research Institute, Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, Water Resources Commission, Ellish Solutions and the Ghana Water Company Limited on the pilot project.
Prof. Klutse said the technology had been used in Malaysia and Canada without adverse effects.
She said it did not harm aquatic life, treated gill diseases in fish and eliminated harmful microorganisms.
Dr Kwadwo Andoh, Principal Scientist at the Water Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, said water samples were taken before and after application of the technology for laboratory analysis.
He said parameters to be examined included turbidity, heavy metals, water clarity, potential of hydrogen (pH), lead and mercury, as well as the survival rate of aquatic species.
Responding to a question on whether the project was a “magic bullet”, Dr Andoh said: “It is not going to be easy, but we need to start from somewhere.”
Mr Yaw Appiah, Okyeame of Akyem Adukrom, commended the initiative and assured the traditional council’s support. He urged small-scale miners to comply with regulations to safeguard water bodies.
Reports by the Water Resources Commission and the Ghana Water Company Limited indicate that more than 60 per cent of the country’s water bodies have been polluted by illegal mining activities, with major rivers such as the Pra, Ankobra and Birim contaminated with sediments and toxic chemicals, including mercury and cyanide.
Illegal mining, although a source of livelihood for many households, has caused serious environmental degradation, including excessive siltation, high turbidity and mercury contamination, posing threats to aquatic ecosystems, fish populations and community water supplies.
GNA
