Mapping Ankobra and Manse Rivers That Have Been Impacted by Illegal Small-Scale Mining (Galamsey) Operators in the Prestea Huni-Valley Municipality of Ghana

Water samples from four sampling sites (Ankobra upstream (AUS), Ankobra downstream (ADS), Manse upstream (MUS) and Manse downstream (MDS) along the profile of Ankobra and Manse rivers in Prestea Huni-Valley Municipality in the Western Region of Ghana were collected and analyzed for a period of six months with the aim of assessing the effects of illegal small-scale mining on the water quality. Levels of physicochemical parameters such as pH, Temperature, Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Electrical Conductivity (EC), Turbidity, Total Dissolved Solids (TDS), Total Suspended Solids (TSS), True Colour and heavy metals such as Iron (Fe), Lead (Pb), Copper (Cu), Arsenic (As), Cadmium (Cd) and Mercury (Hg) were determined. The levels of the parameters studied suggest that illegal small-scale gold mining operations have impacted negatively on the water quality of the Ankobra and Manse rivers looking at the high levels of true colour, turbidity, total suspended solids, iron and mercury which exceeded the WHO recommended guideline values.