The Managing Director of the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL), Ing. Dr. Clifford Braimah, has acknowledged that the current population of Accra exceeds the water company’s capacity.
Residents in various Accra neighborhoods, including Adenta, Kasoa, Weija, and Apaapa in La, have raised concerns about inconsistent water supply affecting their communities.
The irregular water supply has significantly impacted the daily lives of residents, leading some to resort to purchasing water from tankers at high prices. Complaints indicate that the GWCL failed to communicate plans for temporary water supply cuts in specific areas, with some residents reporting a lack of water for nearly a year.
Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Monday, January 22, Ing. Braimah addressed the issue, acknowledging the necessity for the GWCL to upgrade its machinery to meet the growing demands of Accra’s residents.
He further emphasized the practical challenges of managing water distribution in a large population with limited resources, stating “Already in Accra, the volume of water we produce, the population has outgrown it, and we are looking at putting up a new system at Kpone to boost our production but resource constraint has been the problem, Since 2017, 2018, we have been working and we have not settled on finances.
“So already if you have a limited volume of water coming into the system, and your population is big, you have to block them and supply them according to the demands of the people but you cannot give everybody [water] at the same times otherwise some will not get. And so we have been limited for a very long time.”
Despite this acknowledgment, Ing. Braimah recognized that some complaints were related to localized faults, assuring residents that prompt action would be taken if reported to the nearest GWCL office.