The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has launched a pilot clean-up exercise on the Birim River using an innovative Ionic Nano Copper technology to combat pollution caused by illegal small-scale mining, popularly known as galamsey.
The river, located in the Eastern Region, has suffered significant contamination from illegal mining activities, resulting in degraded water quality and threats to aquatic ecosystems.
The exercise commenced on Tuesday at Adiukrom in the Asiakwa area, where the EPA applied a specially formulated ionic nano-liquid directly to the polluted sections of the river in an effort to restore clarity and reduce heavy metal contamination.
Professor Nana Ama Brown Klutse, Chief Executive Officer of the EPA, described the technology as a “game-changer” in efforts to rehabilitate polluted rivers.
She disclosed that about 200,000 dollars had been invested in the development and piloting of the solution, expressing optimism that, if scaled up nationwide, it could significantly reduce the cost of water treatment in Ghana.
According to the EPA, the ionic nano copper solution works by binding to heavy metals and suspended particles in the water, causing the contaminants to settle at the riverbed while cleaner water rises to the surface.
The Authority said the reaction begins within approximately 45 minutes of application, with visible separation of clearer water from muddy sediments observed shortly after treatment.
The pilot exercise is being undertaken in collaboration with the Ghana Standards Authority, Ghana Water Company Limited, Water Resources Commission, CSIR-Water Research Institute and the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, among others, to ensure scientific accuracy and credible testing.
The EPA emphasised that although initial results were promising, further laboratory analysis of treated water samples was ongoing to ascertain safety and environmental impact.
Preliminary observations by the Ghana Standards Authority indicate that the ionic nano copper treatment poses no harmful effects to humans or aquatic life.
Illegal mining, widely known as galamsey, has been condemned for its destructive impact on Ghana’s rivers, forests and farmlands.
Mining activities have introduced heavy metals, including arsenic and mercury, into water bodies, making water treatment more complex and costly.
The Birim River, which originates from the Atewa Range in the Eastern Region, remains one of the water bodies most affected by mining-related pollution, with high levels of sedimentation and contamination rendering its water unsafe for direct human consumption without treatment.
