The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking $200,000 in urgent funding to pilot a copper-based “nano liquid” technology aimed at restoring Ghana’s heavily polluted rivers, many of which have been devastated by illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey.

According to EPA Executive Director, Prof. Nana Ama Browne Klutse, the pilot project is essential to demonstrate the technology’s effectiveness under real environmental conditions and to build the political and financial momentum needed for nationwide adoption.

Speaking on Joy News on Sunday, October 5, Prof. Klutse said the demonstration project would show both citizens and policymakers that scientific solutions can reverse river pollution.

“To do pilots to show to Ghanaians and even the presidents that this is doable — we need $200,000. If I get it today, we will do the pilot for every Ghanaian to see that with the flowing river, this technology can work,” she said.

She stressed that Ghana’s river pollution crisis can be addressed through science-based interventions rather than relying solely on security crackdowns on illegal miners.

The proposed copper-based nano-liquid technology has already undergone laboratory testing at the EPA and has been successfully used internationally, including in Greece. Prof. Klutse said the agency has also explored other advanced purification methods, such as membrane filtration, and will adopt the most efficient and affordable solution.

While a nationwide clean-up could cost billions of dollars, she argued that the $200,000 pilot project is a vital first step to prove the concept’s viability to government, investors, and the public.

“We have tested it in the EPA lab, we have seen it work in Greece, and it is doable,” she reiterated.

Prof. Klutse said the EPA’s long-term goal is to achieve a “zero-arsenic” strategy by investing in effective and sustainable water decontamination technologies.

The urgency of the initiative is driven by alarming data showing that up to 60% of Ghana’s major rivers are polluted, often forcing water treatment plants to shut down.

Illegal mining has released dangerous levels of arsenic and mercury into water bodies, prompting health experts to warn of increased cancer risks and to call for galamsey to be treated as a public health emergency.