Ghana Water Limited (GWL) has denied allegations that its staff were instructed to withhold data on river turbidity and pollution levels, following claims made by JoyNews journalist Evans Mensah.
In a statement, GWL described the allegations as untrue and clarified that its mandate is to treat raw water and supply potable water to urban communities under the Ministry of Works, Housing and Water Resources.
The company explained that it conducts turbidity tests as part of its water treatment processes and shuts down treatment plants when turbidity levels exceed safe thresholds. However, it said it does not maintain official data on natural river bodies.
GWL said the responsibility for monitoring natural river bodies and maintaining data on their turbidity levels falls under the mandates of the Water Resources Commission (WRC) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The company also disputed a claim that Mr. Mensah had visited its Kwanyako treatment plant.
“According to official records, Mr. Evans Mensah did not visit the Kwanyako plant.”
GWL further rejected claims that the Presidency had directed the company to conceal information on river pollution.
“It is therefore totally untrue that the Presidency has directed GWL to withhold river turbidity data.”
The company urged the public to distinguish between the respective mandates of GWL, the WRC and the EPA when assessing information concerning river pollution and turbidity.
GWL also called on the public to treat the video circulating on social media with caution, saying the claims made in it were inconsistent with its records and mandate.
Read the statement below
