River Ankobra, Ghana

River Ankobra is a major river in Ghana's Western Region, feeding into the sea at Sanwoma along the Takoradi to Elubo Road. Further upstream, near Dominase, the river runs through one of the country's most active illegal mining (galamsey) zones.

Site conditions

During the site visit on January 29, 2025, the team witnessed ongoing illegal alluvial gold extraction, along with a Chinese national offloading diesel into a boat used for mining operations, a clear spill risk. Local children were seen swimming and diving in the same water, which also serves as the community's main source of drinking water and fishing. This combination of active mining, fuel contamination and human exposure made Ankobra one of the highest risk testing sites in the pilot.

Method and results

Samples were collected from both sides of the Ankobra bridge and treated with Chlodox, then handed to a government team for independent verification over 12 to 20 hours. Turbidity fell from 353 to 1.85, well under the WHO guideline of 5. Colour dropped from 300 to 2.5, comfortably inside the WHO limit of 15. Lead, mercury, E.coli, legionella, odours and all waterborne viruses were removed. Visually, the water shifted from a murky, contaminated brown to a genuinely clear, transparent state, using only a single dose.