EFFECTS OF FLOODS ON THE JAMBUSIE WATER TREATMENT PLANT IN THE WA WEST DISTRICT OF THE UPPER WEST REGION OF GHANA

Abstract

Water safety and quality are fundamental to the well-being of humans, and hence providing access to safe water is one of the most effective ways of promoting good health. Contaminated water requires appropriate treatment to remove disease-causing agents. The study examined the effects of floods on water supply from the Jambusie Water Treatment Plant in the Wa West District of the Upper West Region of Ghana. The study adopted a cross-sectional design. The mixed-method approach (quantitative and qualitative) was adopted. Questionnaires, interview and observation guides and content analysis were the main instruments used in collecting data for the study. The study revealed that floods had effects on the water treatment plant. Again, the research found that high levels of physico-chemical properties were found in the flood water during the rainy season. These physico-chemical elements have negative consequences on water treatment. The study further showed that before the rains, the nephelometric turbidity unit could range from 40NTU to 120NTU, and increased to 121NTU and 1000NTU during floods. The results also showed that more chemicals are used to treat raw water during the rainy season, which increases the cost of water production. Crop farming, illegal mining, open defecation, animal rearing, fishing, and felling of trees were found to be the main activities affecting water treatment at the Jambusie Water Plant. The study concludes that floods had effects on the water treatment plant and that physico-chemical properties contaminate the raw water during floods. The research, therefore, recommends that the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) should ensure that a well-engineered drainage system is constructed at the facility. GWCL should also ensure that there are no stock-outs of chemicals and parts. GWCL should collaborate with relevant stakeholders such as the Water Resources Commission (WRC), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Ghana Police Service to check activities such as illegal mining and farming that could negatively impact on the quality of raw water.