Berekese dam is on the Offin River which was constructed in the Atwima Nwambiagye constituency in the year 1965 by Ghanaians first president Dr. Kwame Nkrumah in a town call Berekese.
Since 1969 the Berekese dam has been supporting the main water treatment plant for Kumasi in the Ashanti region, the Brerkese dam which is operated by Ghana Water Company, supplies about 80 percent of the portable water for the entire city of Kumasi and its surrounding environs.
But reporting reaching ahotoronline.com indicate that, encroachers have taking over the entire land surrounding the dam which was left for the dam’s preservation and also belongs to Ghana Water Company which is posing a lot of health threat to the good people of Kumasi and its surrounding.
The deputy Ashanti regional minister Hon. Elizabeth Agyemen, known as people’s mother together with Prof. Frimpong Boateng paid a visit to the Berekese and the Owabi dam following the report from the officials of Ghana Water Company on how rapid the encroachers are taking over the land.
On the arrival of team together with police task force they realized that both the Owabi and Berekese dam have been totally taking over by encroachers, putting up structures, several uncompleted Buildings, farming of all kinds (cocoa, cassava, plantains, etc.) Sand mining, etc.
In an interview with the Deputy Ashanti Regional minister, Hon. Elizabeth with a heavy heart said, very soon Kumasi will run out water if the issue is not tackle immediately because, currently due to the activities of these encroachers both the Owabi and Berekese dam are chock full of plastic waste, woods and other unpleasant materials which is gradually filling up the dams.
According to the Ghana water company at Berekese they said, the dam which was formally 22.50 ft. down is currently measured 6.02 ft. down due to the above reason and spend four times of the money they used in treating the water, but both the chiefs of Owabi and Berekese denied selling land to those encroachers.
Finally, after arresting some workers on the uncompleted projects, Hon. Elizabeth Agyemen gave all the encroachers ten days to vacate the place or after ten days all structures will be pulling down.
Daniel Koranteng Kwagyiri|ahotoronline.com|Ghana
