Owabi 75% blocked, Barekese loses 40% capacity as siltation, plastics threaten water supply crisis
By RCN Ghana · 11 April 2026
By: Emmanuel B. Quaicoe
Ashanti region’s water security is facing a growing threat as two of the main treatment plants supplying the Greater Kumasi metropolis are gradually being choked by silt and heavy pollution of plastics. According to the management of the Ghana Water Limited (GWL), the Owabi Treatment Plant is already 75 per cent clogged with fine sand particles and plastics, while the Barekese dam, the largest treatment facility, has lost 40 per cent of its total water holding capacity to silt.
Officials fear that without urgent dredging and stronger protection of the water bodies, thousands of homes could face serious water shortages within the next two years as climate change worsens the situation. The Owabi Treatment Plant supplies potable water to thousands of homes in the Greater Kumasi metropolis, processing about 3 million gallons of water daily.
However, the water resource feeding the facility is, in recent times, suffocating with heavy plastic pollution and fine sand particles. The once-crystal-clear water resource is now a pale shadow of its former self, turning into a dirty and milky mixture. The poor state of the water resource has compelled Ghana Water Limited to task workers to regularly clear up the waste.
Chief Manager at the Ashanti Production Region of Ghana Water Limited, Dr Hanson Mensah-Akutteh, said, “This is even more serious because the volume that is now left on the surface of the reservoir is just small, and this cannot even take us to a year if there is a serious climate variability."
At the Barekese dam, although the water appears clearer, it is heavily choked with sand, drastically reducing its water-holding capacity. The water distribution company attributed the recent development to fast encroachment on the banks of the water resource, including settlement and farming activities. Management warns that without immediate intervention, thousands of homes that depend on the two dams could struggle for potable drinking water in …
Ashanti region’s water security is facing a growing threat as two of the main treatment plants supplying the Greater Kumasi metropolis are gradually being choked by silt and heavy pollution of plastics. According to the management of the Ghana Water Limited (GWL), the Owabi Treatment Plant is already 75 per cent clogged with fine sand particles and plastics, while the Barekese dam, the largest treatment facility, has lost 40 per cent of its total water holding capacity to silt.
Officials fear that without urgent dredging and stronger protection of the water bodies, thousands of homes could face serious water shortages within the next two years as climate change worsens the situation. The Owabi Treatment Plant supplies potable water to thousands of homes in the Greater Kumasi metropolis, processing about 3 million gallons of water daily.
However, the water resource feeding the facility is, in recent times, suffocating with heavy plastic pollution and fine sand particles. The once-crystal-clear water resource is now a pale shadow of its former self, turning into a dirty and milky mixture. The poor state of the water resource has compelled Ghana Water Limited to task workers to regularly clear up the waste.
Chief Manager at the Ashanti Production Region of Ghana Water Limited, Dr Hanson Mensah-Akutteh, said, “This is even more serious because the volume that is now left on the surface of the reservoir is just small, and this cannot even take us to a year if there is a serious climate variability."
At the Barekese dam, although the water appears clearer, it is heavily choked with sand, drastically reducing its water-holding capacity. The water distribution company attributed the recent development to fast encroachment on the banks of the water resource, including settlement and farming activities. Management warns that without immediate intervention, thousands of homes that depend on the two dams could struggle for potable drinking water in …
