According to NEDCo, the water company owes over GH¢39 million in electricity bills.
The Dalun water treatment plant supplies water to residents in Tamale and its environs. This disconnection could result in a water crisis in the coming days if power is not immediately restored to the treatment plant.
Speaking in an interview, the Area Manager for NEDCo, Elvis Denuyakor, noted that the action is necessary to enable the company to retrieve debts owed to it to enable it to stay in operation.
“As part of our revenue mobilisation exercise which we started somewhere last month, we needed to visit some state institutions to demand payments and we did that and we were not hearing anything from the Ghana Water Company and that is why we came here this morning to engage them but they couldn’t tell us anything and that is why we took them off the grid.
“As of April 2023, their total bill was about GH¢39 million but we are yet to process the new bill and we know that when the new bill is done, it will take the net bill to over GH¢40 million plus.”
Meanwhile, when Citi News contacted the Northern Regional Office of GWCL, the Head of Public Relations, Nii Abbey noted that the issue is being handled by the head office in Accra.
The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) has issued a statement announcing an interruption in the water supply to certain areas of theAshanti Region due to the temporary shutdown of the Qwabi Treatment Plant.
According to GWCL, the shutdown was due to technical challenges at the Qwabi Treatment Plant on Sunday (18 June).
The affected areas include Asuoyeboah, Tanoso, Apatrapa, Pokukrom, Bobankye, Nyankyereniase, Esaase, Akropong, Ntensere, Mfensi and Koforidua.
Others are Manhyia, Maakro, Agogo, Twedie, Nkawie, Mim, Toase, Afari, Wiosi, Abuakwa and its environs.
A statement issued by GWCL said its engineers are working to resolve the challenge to ensure the flow of water to the affected areas.
In order to purify water, Ghana Water Company Limited(GWCL) has been forced to use polymer in place of alum due to ‘galamsey’ activities to the company’s director of communications, Stanley Martey.
He explained that the turbidity levels in the water bodies have exceeded 10,000 NTU as a result of galamsey, rendering alum ineffective in the treatment process.
Speaking to the media on Sunday, “Initially we were using alum but now the alum is now almost ineffective and we are now using polymers.”
According to him, the use of more dangerous chemicals to treat water is affecting the staff health-wise as they inhale the chemicals.
This comes after illegal mining activities are destroying the river bodies in the country.
Meanwhile, the Ghana Water Companyin October last year noted that the cost of producing water has increased tenfold as a result of illegal mining activities, hence Management has resolved to pass the cost to the consumer.
The Company says it is burdened with spending huge sums of money on chemicals to treat high turbidity levels of raw water at various extraction stations.
Managing Director of the Company with the media he noted that after a recent tour with the Sanitation Minister, Cecilia Abena Dapaah to some mining communities in the Ashanti Region to assess the state of water bodies, it is evident that all stakeholders must join forces to chase out “galamseyers”.
However, given the surge in the cost of processing water for public consumption Mr Braimah says Ghana Water Company has no choice but to pass on the cost to the consumer.
“They (PURC) might not give us full cost but a lot of activities have changed. All those parameters would have to be considered in reviewing the tariff as long as we continue to carry out some of these activities.
“Let the quality of water get to the level the Ghana Water Company will take, then the cost will be taken out, your tariff will come down, then the other ones we cannot control, we maintain them. But if the ones that you can control, the self-inflicted ones, for me as the Managing Director the cost must be passed on”, he explained.
Guinness Ghana Breweries Plc in Accra will be refused water supply until it reaches an agreement with the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) to settle its debt.
The company’s water supply system has been disconnected over a GH¢6.7 million debt.
Speaking to the media, Accra East Regional Manager of GWCL, Emmanuel Ade Johnson noted that Guinness Ghana must first show commitment to clear its debt.
He claimed that the company is yet to provide a payment plan.
“They are one of our major consumers, and we treat our consumers with respect. If their water supply is not good, we go to lengths to improve supply so that they can improve on their businesses. And so they have to come to the drawing table on a specific debt settlement plan. They have to tell us how much they can afford to pay us,” he told CitiNews.
“They have refused to come out with one. They can decide to pay their debts within three or more, that is fine, we have to know. But until then, if they don’t come out with the payment plan, then GWCL will refuse to reconnect them, and we will send the water to other areas that are ready to pay us,” he added.
Meanwhile, Guinness Ghana in a statement issued on May 10, has accused GWCL of taking the action without recourse to resolutions agreed upon from a meeting on Tuesday, May 9, 2023, chaired by the Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources and attended by the Managing Director of GWCL and the leadership of Guinness Ghana.
Also, the company has refuted reports that it has halted operations over the recent incident.
The disconnection of Guinness Ghana’s Achimota site forms part of a revenue mobilisation by GWCL.
The Eastern Regional Manager of the PURC, Jude Aduamoah -Addo,has revealed that forty-eight (48) Senior High Schools in the Eastern Region owe the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) one million, two hundred and ninety-eight thousand, eight hundred and sixty-seven cedis (Ghc1,298,867).
the Commission has received 324 complaints against GWCL and Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) during the first quarter of 2023, with 311 representing a resolution percentage of 95.98%.
The 13 outstanding complaints are at various stages of resolution.274 of the 324 complaints were against ECG while 50 against GWCL.
The complaints were basically about billing, payment, poor quality of service, metering , disconnection, damaged properties and consumer service.55% of the complaints were received via various WhatsApp platforms created by PURC across the region for utility service providers ,customers and the regulator.
Complaints of disputed bills reported to PURC by three(3) customers against ECG during the period amounted to twenty-seven thousand nine hundred and sixteen Ghana cedis (27,916).
Through the intervention of the Commission, ECG passed an adjustment of twenty-seven thousand two hundred and sixty- eight Ghana cedis (27,268) leaving outstanding balance of six-hundred and Forty-Eight Ghana cedis (Ghc648) for the customers to pay.
PURC has declared 2023 the year of “operational efficiency”aimed at ensuring a balance between quality of service delivery and revenue recovery to help both providers and consumers commit to their social contracts.
The Ministry of Employment, Labour, and Relations has cautioned job searchers to be mindful of fake private employment services guaranteeing them work beyond the country.
GWCL disconnected water supply toGuinness Ghana’s site at Achimota in Accra over alleged non-payment of bills.
According to the water distribution company, the beverage company is yet to pay a debt if GH¢6.7 million.
GWCL says it cut supply to Guinness Ghana after several caution letters to get the company to settle its debt failed.
In response, Guinness Ghana accused GWCL of taking the action without recourse to resolutions agreed upon from a meeting on Tuesday, May 9, 2023, chaired by the Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources and attended by the Managing Director of GWCL and the leadership of Guinness Ghana.
“The outcome of the meeting was to await the result of the PURC’s investigations and to hold a tripartite meeting between GGBPLC, GWCL and the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC). During this period, no disconnection was to be effected,” the company said in a statement.
The beverage company insisted that it has been fully compliant on all bills to GWCL “based on our classification under the industrial rate, pending a resolution of our petition to the PURC on the arbitrary reclassification by GWCL. Guinness Ghana has openly engaged Ghana Water Company Limited, the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission and the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources on numerous occasions to resolve its concerns following the arbitrary reclassification of the business in the September 2022 tariff adjustments,” Guinness Ghana added.
On Tuesday, May 9, 2023, the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) severed water supply to the headquarters of Guinness Ghana Breweries Limited.
It is reported that Guinness Ghana Breweries owes the Ghana Water Company Limited GH6.7 million.
Due to the lack of water supply, the breweries company has been shut down.
The Guinness Ghana Breweries is yet to comment on the matter.
Similar exercises are ongoing nationwide as part of the revenue mobilisation drive to redeem debts owed to GWCL.
According to GWCL, nationally, over 800 million are owed in arrears with 90 percent being domestic consumers and 10 percent government institutions.
Until such time as they pay up their debts in full or in part, as assessed by the company, and a reconnection charge, defaulters have their pipelines disconnected.
The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) and Public Utilities Workers’ Union (PUWU) are contesting against the appointment of Collins Nuntwiri as the organization’s proposed Deputy Managing Director, Finance and Administration.
Clad in red, the union and the staff bemoan that Mr. Nuntwiri does not have the required qualification for the job and thus should not be considered for the position.
Addressing the media, the first Vice Trustee of the PUWU, Samuel Amo-Kakabaah called on the appointing authority to consider someone from the company with expertise other than an unqualified one.
“We are here to register our position on the nomination of a Deputy Managing Director-Finance and Administration for Ghana Water. Our position is spelt out in the petition we have written to the Chief of Staff, we have copied the director of SIGA, board chairman of Ghana Water, Managing Director and the Minister.
“Our position is very clear and simple, we want to state on record that we are not against the appointment of heads of entity by the presidency, but our concern is that the position of the Managing Director is an appointee of the presidency, but the Deputy Managing Director’s position is a position we feel should be filled with people with both the technical and institutional knowledge of our operations.
“We believe that the technical people will also help the Managing Directorwho is a political appointee to do his work appropriately. The profile of the purported nominee indicates that he lacks the requisite professional qualification to be a Deputy MD. We want the appointing authority to consider that”.
TheGhana Water Company Limited (GWCL) has paid GH2 million of its GH17.5 million debt to the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) in the Volta Region after two years of not paying for power used.
The last time the GWCL paid for electricity consumed was in 2021 and this led to the company becoming the highest debtor of ECG in the Volta Region with a debt profile of GH¢17.5 million.
The payment of GH¢2 million to thepower distributorcomes after series of engagements which led to the power distributor serving the GWCL with a disconnection notice to settle its indebtedness or face disconnection on Tuesday 4th April 2023.
The disconnection notice led to crunch talks between both companies in the Volta Region which eventually saw the ECG rescind its decision to cut power supply to the facilities of GWCL.
Addressing the media, the Acting Volta Regional General Manager of ECG, Ing. Michael Buabin, said that “We rescinded our decision to disconnect GWCL on 4th April 2023 because we knew they were going to pay something very soon since the discussions we had with them at the Regional and Head Office level were positive“.
Ing. Buabin indicated that the company is not embarking on a mass disconnection exercise but a revenue mobilization exercise “so once the company engages you, and you show commitment to pay, there can be a consensus”.
“We don’t take delight in disconnecting customers, but we also want to collect the needed revenue so when we engage you and there’s positive feedback. We don’t take you off the national grid but once you default or fail to present a positive solution, disconnection which is always the last resort will be done”.
Ing. Buabin also noted that the GWCL provides essential services to consumers so disconnecting them also has adverse effects.
“For example, if we disconnect GWCL, hospitals, schools and innocent consumers who have paid their water bills will not get water supply, hence the need to engage the GWCL extensively for them to pay their bills to avoid disconnection”, he said.
Ing. Buabin indicated that the GH¢2 million paid by the GWCL is nowhere near its GH¢17.5 million debt in the region and urged them to make regular payments to avoid accruing more debt in the nearest future.
“The amount paid by GWCL is small compared to their debt profile, but we hope they will be making regular payments to enable them reduce or clear their debt. We will be monitoring the situation to ensure we receive frequent payments from their outfit”.
Ing. Buabin expressed hope that GWCL will fulfil its patriotic act of paying for electricity consumed by making another payment very soon.
Other institutions that made payments in the Volta Region include UHAS, Ho technical university, Abutia Stone Quarry among others.
The ECG has also engaged Hospitals that charge utilities as part of bills given to patients, especially missionary hospitals (CHAG), the Ghana Police Service, Ghana National Fire Service and Ghana Prisons Service in the Volta Region to settle their indebtedness or face disconnection.
To recover all arrears due by consumers, the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) has begun a national revenue mobilization exercise.
The company is out to collect about GH₵800 million in debts as of January this year, up from GH₵684 million debts that stood on the company’s books as of January 2022.
This was when in September 2022, the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) increased the average end-user tariff for water by 21.55 per cent, increasing the debt situation to GH₵800 million.
Out of the amount, private companies and individuals account for 90 per cent, while government institutions account for 10 per cent.
According to the GWCL, whereas the government institutions had been making efforts to settle their debt, consumers in the private sector had been quoting unfavourable business conditions for the accumulation of their debts.
Teshie/Nungua
In view of that, the Managing Director of GWCL, Dr Clifford Braimah, yesterday joined a revenue mobilisation task force team from its Accra East District to collect or disconnect private industries who owed the company.
The team visited the D.U. Fresh Company, Kata Company Limited, Printex Limited, Interplast Limited and Waka Building Limited.
Interplast Limited was in good standing, but Waka Building Limited, Printex Limited and Kata Company Limited proceeded to settle part of their arrears.
However, D.U. Fresh Company, which owed GH¢163,000, was disconnected for failing to settle its arrears.
Dr Braimah noted that the affected customers would be made to settle arrears in full and pay reconnection fees before they would be reconnected.
Enforcement exercise
The GWCL MD said the enforcement was successful considering how majority of the industries were willing to settle their arrears.
He mentioned that the GWCL would not tolerate customers who refused to settle their arrears with the excuse that they did not have water flowing through their taps.
“We are not a prepaid company; we are a postpaid company.
This means that we collect bills on water consumed,” he said, explaining that what had been consumed involved the usage of chemicals and electricity by the GWLC.
Dr Braimah, however, urged the company’s customers to utilise its online platforms such as the GWCL App or pay via mobile money for convenience.
He expressed the hope that the GWCL would mobilise more than 50 per cent of money owed it nationwide by the end of April.
Illegal activities
At Tema, the Deputy Managing Director of GWCL in charge of Operations, Peter De-veer, said arrears as of April 3, 2023, was GH¢140 million.
He noted that it had become expensive to produce water because of activities such as illegal mining, sand winning and farming either inside or close to the river bodies.
Mr De-veer said the GWCL used foreign exchange to procure chemicals to treat the polluted water to meet World Health Organisation standards.
He noted that such activities increased the turbidity of the rivers where GWCL extracted water for treatment.
TheGhana Water Company Limited (GWCL) has blamed a private contractor working for the municipality for damaging its line for the recent interruption in water supply to households in the Tema district.
Residents in the region have been experiencing water shortage for the past few weeks due to maintenance works including the changing of non-functioning pipes by GWCL.
The development has affected businesses and households.
Appearing on the Asaase Breakfast Show on Monday (27 February) Musah Amidu, the Tema regional manager of the Ghana Water Company Limited said the company has filed a complaint against the private contractor with the Public Utilities and Regulatory Commission (PURC).
“…When you come to HFC side, there is a contractor working since last year on that side, and has been destroying the lines almost everyday,” he added. “We have sent several complaints.”
“But he is not listening to us. So, we have even written a letter to PURC complaining about his attitude, because he is causing inconvenience to our customers. We are waiting for PURC to call us for discussions with him,” he said.
Meanwhile, water has been restored to some areas after the completion of maintenance works by GWCL.
The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) has attributed its failure to serve Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis citizens with potable water to the actions of unlicensed miners in the Western Region.
Water shortage has hit parts of Sekondi-Takoradi and adjoining communities in the Western region due to the low level of water at the intake points of the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) in the region.
The problem has also been compounded by the onset of the dry season, according to the Ghana Water Company Limited.
In a statement, the GWCL explained that the “challenges arise from inadequate freshwater inflows into the Pra basin which is the source of raw water for the Daboase Water Treatment Plant, the biggest Plant in the Region. The Anankware River, which supplies raw water to the Inchaban Water Treatment Plant is equally facing its own freshwater inflow difficulties.
“Compounding the current problem at Daboase are the activities of illegal miners upstream of the River Pra, causing severe siltation at the plant’s intake. The high silt deposits have drastically reduced the volume of raw water available for abstraction. The dry season currently being experienced has also exacerbated the problem of raw water unavailability.”
According to the GWCL, the result of these developments is that “the company is not able to produce enough water for residents, thus, worsening the already bad supply situation in the metropolis.”
The GWCL further added that it has reviewed its water demand management programme to bring equity in the water distribution exercise.
However, the GWCL said there are still customers who are not likely to receive water despite the review of the water management programme due to the erratic pumping regime.
“Management of the company recognises and shares in the pain of consumers and are now doing everything they can to ameliorate their suffering, including dredging the intake of Daboase Treatment Plant which is currently ongoing.”
The Management of Ghana Water Company Limited(GWCL) has announced rationing of water supply as raw water bodies from various sources deplete due to the cut down of trees.
In a statement, the Ghana Water Company Limited revealed that consumers may encounter erratic flow of water in some parts of the country, especially the Greater Accra, Ashanti, Central Western and Northern regions.
“With the onset of the dry season, the entire country is expected to experience challenges with water supply because of the depletion of raw water from the various water bodies,” the statement said.
Speaking on News Desk on Monday, the Head of Communications, Stanley Martey, said trees giving water bodies cover have been cut down.
“Trees that give our water bodies cover have all been cut away because of farming activities. We are also aware that the pollution in our water bodies has silted most of our water bodies and such rate of evaporation is high and we do not have huge volumes of water in our water bodies,” he said.
The Management has therefore called on consumers to play their role to minimise the impact of the situation as it cannot tell when the erratic supply could end.
“For now, because of the climatic changes as we know, it is a bit difficult to determine whether it will end in a month or two. The Ghana Water Company Limited has put in resilient measures and we also expect that consumers will also play their role so together we can minimise the impact.”
Read the full details of GWCL’s statement below:
DRY SEASON WATER CONSERVATION MEASURES
With the onset of the dry season, the entire country is expected to experience challenges with water supply because of the depletion of raw water from the various water bodies. As a result, consumers may encounter erratic flow of water in some parts of the country, especially the Greater Accra, Ashanti, Central, Western and the Northern Regions.
The Management of the Ghana Water Company Limited wishes to assure the consuming public, that it has put in measures to ameliorate the situation. Management therefore wishes to call on all to be part of the solution, hence, consumers are advised to strictly adhere to the following conservation measures;
Cease indiscriminate watering of lawns with treated water,
Moderate the use of treated water for car washing by resorting to the use of buckets, instead of hosing,
shut all taps when not in use,
Repair all leakages in your homes, like overflowing reservoirs and dripping taps, valves, etc. (the little drops also swell your water bills.)
Report all burst pipes and leakages immediately to the nearest GWCL District offices, Customer Service Centers and Fault Offices.
Report all persons engaged in illegal connections, by-passes, and all malpractices against GWCL.
You can also send google GPS locations, pictures and videos of the burst and leakages on the GWCL WhatsApp lines 0555123393, 0555155524, (WhatsApp information only and not calls)
The public can call GWCL on these numbers; 0207385089, 0207385090. The toll-free line is 0800 40 000 for Vodafone cell and land lines only and 0302 218240 for all other networks.
The GWCL has currently resorted to Water Demand Management to ensure equitable distribution of the water from the various treatment plants. All District Offices have been requested to announce to customers, days on which water will be flowing so customers can store water.
During dry seasons, consumers resort to the use of treated water for keeping lawns green, for commercial washing of vehicles etc. currently the dry season is on and consumers with greater dependence on rainwater have also compounded the problem by taking to treated water use. These practices ease the pressures in the pipelines thereby causing low pressures and no flow in some areas, especially the hilly areas.
Management of GWCL is very much concerned about the impact of the dry season on the raw water sources, which has been compounded by the excessive pollution of the water bodies and wish to assure the public that, the company, together with the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources, and allied Ministries, are working assiduously to improve on raw water resources in the Country.
The cooperation of the public is greatly appreciated.
The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) has disclosed that over 140,000 people in Odaso and Obuasi in the Ashanti Region, have limited access to water on a daily basis as a result of illegal mining (galamsey).
According to the company, it has drastically reduced the volumes of water sent to households in these areas, because galamsey is directly affecting its production and general operations.
Residents of Obuasi and its vicinity are accustomed to experiencing acute water shortagesbecause they receive piped water from the Odaso headworks.
Individuals living there say they are used to going weeks without any water coming out of their faucets.
“We don’t often get water from our taps but every month we are being served with water bills to pay. This is really frustrating” says Gifty Ampomah, an Obuasi resident.
To obtain water for domestic purposes, they must rely on groundwater or, in some cases, nearby streams. Those who can afford to buy sachet water for drinking purposes also do so.
“My family and I drink at least a bag of sachet water every day. But the price of the water has in recent time gone up making life unbearable for us”, Kofi Anning hinted.
“The illegal miners work at night and we don’t have any weapons to face them off. It’s risky to confront them at night”, chief of Odaso Nana Agyei hummed.
Another worried resident, Albert Nyarko, noted, “we used to drink from the Oda River but not anymore. Even the military has not been successful in stopping the illegal miners. If you don’t take care, the miners will attack you”.
The situation is not too different from the Konongo water treatment plant.
According to officials, the daily cost of production has shot up from 7,000 cedis to 80,000 because more expensive chemicals have to be used in treating the water.
Odaso treatment plant faces imminent shut down
The GWCL is also facing severe problems in their water treatment facilities in the Ashanti, Western, Eastern and Western North Regions due to heavy pollution and consequently, low production.
Citing the current dire situation in Odaso and Obuasi, GWCL says the continuous pollution of the Oda River by activities of illegal miners, has negatively affected output such that their four million gallons per day production has currently been reduced to about a million gallons a day.
This situation therefore threatens the sustainability of the Odaso treatment plant
According to water company officials, the high amount of contamination at the input source causes at least 50% of the treated water to be wasted.
Due to this, villages that receive their water via pipes from the Odaso treatment facility have started to practice water rationing on a regular basis.
“For every normal plant, when we treat water, 5% of the water is lost. But for Odaso, we are experiencing a case as a result of illegal mining (galamsey) where about 50% translating into 2 million gallons of the water is lost after treatment”, Ashanti regional water quality assurance manager, Adam Yakubu disclosed.
The Ghana Water Company Limited noted, the high turbidity level is causing frequent breakdown of the pumps at the Odaso beadwork.
“Most of our pumps are not designed to treat this kind of water. They’re normally for turbidites around 5 to 10 but now we are experiencing turbidites of almost 3,000 and colour of 16,000 platinum-cobalt compared to the approved of about 200 and 300 platinum-cobalt. So as a result, the effect is dire on our equipment”, Mr Yakubu revealed.
Speaking to the media, he stated that the activities of illegal miners also known as galamseyers are affecting the cost of treating water.
“In the short term, we will not get treated water at all, and we will have to shut down, most of the equipment will be destroyed.
“In the long term, agriculture will be affected, food security will be affected, and economic growth will suffer… It is a complete system
and our livelihood is on the line as well,” he said.
GWCL has for some time now lamented the dire impact of “galamsey” activities on the production of water. The Water Resources Commission disclosed that the volume of water that GWCL has in its possession is limited, as such, the country is already engaging external bodies for assistance.
“When we say Ghana is importing water, we often look at the physical importation, but on the face of it, that is already happening. We are importing labour and tools into our water supply mechanisms.
“Whatever we consume is produced with water and if you don’t develop your water resources, and then you import some country’s products, what you are importing is what they have done as far as their water development is concerned.”
On the other hand, managing director of the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL), Dr. Clifford Braimah has called on the government to take pragmatic measures to rescue the country’s water bodies to prevent the country from importing water.
“The cost is unbearable. We are resorting to more expensive chemicals to be able to reduce the process lost. The cost of treatment continues to go up.
“Our system is not made for wastewater, but for fresh water. If we do not take the issue of illegal mining seriously enough and address it, our systems may break down, and we may not be able to produce water for Ghanaians anymore,” he added.
Illegal mining remains a battle for the country, government in its attempt to rid the nation of the menace has launched a variety of initiatives, such as Operation
Vanguard and Operation Halt, yet illegal mining still continues.
On Friday, October 21, 2022, President Akufo-Addo placed a ban on the manufacture, distribution, and sale of Chanfangs, which is predominantly used for illegal
mining on riverbeds.
According to him, “We have increased significantly, the level of sanctions against people who engage in galamsey, today, Ghanaians who get involved will get a 15-year minimum sentence if convicted and foreigners will get as long as a 25-year imprisonment if convicted,” President Akufo-Addo stated.
Meanwhile, the deputy minister in-charge of Mines at the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, George Mireku Duker has stated that in order to eradicate the canker, it is necessary to look at the main cause of the issue, thus the purchase of Changfans must be examined.
“Per the law that governs the small-scale mining sector, those who are in a way mobilizing, manufacturing or assembling Changfans are not allowed in any way.”
“Obviously, when these things are being manufactured or assembled, they are not going to be used for taxi purposes, they are obviously going to put them on river bodies, so why do we allow them to manufacture them in the respective communities and then transport them to the riverside? I don’t think we need to wait for that or the finality of the process before we take an action and if we tackle from the source these struggles will be curtailed,” he added.
Flood waters at Weija and its environs have begun to recede, revealing the extent of devastation caused following the opening of the spill gates of the Weija Dam last week.
The recession of the flood waters is as a result of the opening of the Weija estuary and a reduction in the volume of water from the Eastern Region into the Weija Dam.
Consequently, residents who abandoned their homes for fear of their lives have gone back to clean up and salvage remaining personal effects and other items.
The first casualty of the flooding has also been found at Tetegu — a 55-year-old man known as Addi Kwashie, aka Chocholotso.
His body was discovered by the Weija Police around 12:30 p.m.
Kwashie had reportedly run to take cover in a nearby house but ended up getting drowned.
Visit
This came to light when the Daily Graphic visited areas affected by the floods when the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) opened four spill gates of the Weija Dam to allow for the flow of excess water from the facility to save it from collapse.
At New Weija, Tatop, Tetegu, White Cross, Oblogo, among others, there were traces of the levels the flood waters had reached in homes, shops, schools and other facilities.
Some of the traces were at the ground, window and door levels.
There were also traces of refuse and debris in the homes of people at the various places.
On standby were the Marine Police, with their boat; personnel from the Weija Divisional Command of the Ghana Police Service, members of the Ghana Ambulance Service and the Ghana National Fire Service.
At Tetegu, for instance, for the first time in three days, the asphalted road leading to the town could be seen as residents cleaned their shops and homes.
Due to the power outage in the affected flooded areas, people who had generators switched them on to operate their businesses.
Recovering
A victim of the flooding at New Weija, Emmanuel Afari, told the Daily Graphic that with the water receding, he and his family were now trying to test whether or not their electrical gadgets would work.
He said their clothes would all be washed, since Kente and other materials were all submerged in the flood.
Another resident, Alhaji Seidu, said he had lived in the area for 25 years but had never seen anything like the recent flood.
“I have not been home for the past three days and I am now going to see what is left in my house. We had to temporarily relocate when the flood came to our home,” he said.
Zenabu Azumah, another victim, said apart from losing her personal belongings, her business too had been badly affected, as bags of beans for ‘waakye’, cartons of fish and a new fridge were destroyed by the flood.
“I lost all my clothing and all I have left is what I wore on that day. I am still wearing it,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Weija-Gbawe Municipal Director of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Emmanuel Adu-Boahen, told the Daily Graphic that the organisation was assessing the extent of damage and the number of people displaced.
For his part, the Public Relations Officer of the Weija-Gbawe Municipal Assembly, Julius Sarpei, said the assembly members had been tasked to identify people who had been affected and displaced by the flooding, since they were with them on the ground.
He said as of 11 a.m. yesterday, the assembly was yet to take delivery of relief items from NADMO.
Businesses
While on the rounds, the Daily Graphic team observed that vulcanisers around Tetegu, Tatop and Weija were not working due to the power outage.
The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) had indicated that until it was safe to restore power, it would not do so.
Yaw Opoku of Tatop Company Limited, manufacturers of concrete products, said the company could not work as a result of the flooding of its yard.
Sumaila, a vulcaniser, who was seen sitting idle, said he could not work because there was no light to power the machine.
He said he could only hope that the flood waters would recede further for the light to be switched on, since he had not worked for the past four days.
At the Talented Royal School where some staff members were seen clearing the debris left by the flood, the Headmaster, Anthony Torgorme, said nothing was destroyed, except for the debris that was left on the compound.
The school, he said, had to be closed, since they could not access it because of the flood.
Support
At Tetegu, members of the National Council of Zamarama Chiefs had gathered to visit some of their members who were hit by the flood.
The President of the council, Chief Musah Yahaya Yandu, said between 80 and 90 per cent of its members lived at Tetegu and so they were at the place to assess the impact of the flood in the homes of those members.
Once that was done, he said, “then we will see how best to assist them”.
The Assembly Member for Tetegu a suburb of Accra, Bright Adablah has said the spillage from the Weija dam is the worse so far to hit the community.
Hundreds of houses in Weija, Tetegu, and the surrounding areas have been flooded leaving many residents displaced as a result of the spillage by the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) from the Weija Dam.
According to GWCL, the rainy situation in the Eastern Region in the last weeks has contributed to the rise of the water level in the Weija Dam.
Speaking in an interview, Mr. Adablah called on President Akufo-Addo to take up this year’s situation and investigate what might have caused it adding that, “someone didn’t do his work well and that has caused the whole community to suffer.”
The Assembly Member questioned why Ghana Water Company should wait for the water to get to its highest level before allowing for spillage.
“Because no one is giving any reason or talking to anyone about anything, all they are saying is that the people should move out of the community. As to what is causing the problem no one knows and the dam can’t contain the volume of water coming in.”
“This has never happened before in the history of Tetegu and it is a very serious and terrible one. But we just thank God no casualty has been recorded so far. The whole community is flooded, with no place to step, and our properties are in the water. Usually, what happens is a portion of the community will get flooded and within some days it’s okay but this is beyond control,” Mr. Adablah narrated.
He continued: “The notification didn’t come early. Maybe you will hear it a day before or during the spillage then they will say people living along the river should move, but I think this spillage is beyond expectation.”
He, however, added that the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) is currently in the area to move people to safer places.
Visiting Weija and its environs on Tuesday, October 4, 2022, GhanaWeb TV cameras captured several residents who had been displaced by the spilled water flooding their homes.
Dozens of students at the Weija D/A Junior High School were sighted assisting some schoolmates whose home had been flooded to evacuate their properties.
A parent of the affected student lamented the impact of the flooding which she noted had destroyed her valuables.
According to the mother of three, she had lost some GHC1,500 to the flood waters in addition to several belongings.
Boats take over as homes at Weija ‘drown’ under water after dam spillage.
The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) may soon halt its operations in Tamale and its environs in the Northern Region because of excess water due to the spillage of the Bagre dam.
The company in a statement said the action is to protect “its equipment and installations.”
Management of the water company said it is following standard operating procedure because the in-take dam risk exceeding its maximum level.
“Any operation beyond the maximum operating feet puts the water facility in jeopardy, which could lead to the entire collapse and destruction of its equipment and installations”, the release further added.
The GWCL said if it takes such action, it will only resume operations after the water level return to its appropriate limit.
The spillage of the Bagre dam from neighbouring Burkina Faso is done annually to prevent any breakage of the dam’s banks.
This exercise results in flooding in low-lying communities, destruction to crops, livestock and sometimes loss of lives in Burkina Faso and Ghana.
35 communities along the White Volta in the Bawku Municipality, Bawku West, Garu, Binduri, Nabdam and Talensi districts are the hard-hit areas.
Over the years, several homes, farmlands and properties have been destroyed by floods and rendered hundreds homeless.
The Ashanti Regional office of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) has intervened to cause the refund of more than GH¢200,000 to 25 customers in the region for “over billing” and other infractions.
The refund of GH¢207,513.98 was done by crediting the utility accounts of the customers with the full overcharged amount.
It followed series of complaints launched by the affected customers of both the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) and the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).
Subsequently, the PURC held a number of “settlement meetings” to have the two service providers to address the concerns of the affected customers.
The Regional Manager of the PURC, Francis Baidoo, told the Daily Graphic that the commission exercised its mandate in accordance with L.I. 2413 under the Customer Service Regulations, 2020.
The L.I. states, among others, that a public utility shall not overcharge a customer, and that if it did so, it should take steps to immediately credit the accounts of the affected persons.
Numbers
A total of 931 complaints were received by the PURC against the ECG, and 122 against the GWCL last year.
Mr Baidoo said the complaints included billing, payments, quality of service and metering but the most reported was quality of service.
The PURC observed that some illegal activities of customers resulted in network challenges as well as high and low voltage experiences leading to the destruction of domestic and industrial property.
Indeed, Mr Baidoo said self-reconnection led to the damage of lots of meters and property, and warned customers to refrain from such acts.
“During dry seasons, consumers resort to the use of treated water for keeping lawns green, for commercial washing of vehicles etc,†it noted in a press release on Wednesday, January 12. Currently the dry season is on and consumers with greater dependence on rainwater have also compounded the problem by taking to treated water use. These practices ease the pressures in the pipelines thereby causing low pressures and no flow in some areas, especially the hilly areas,†the statement added.
GWCL has since advised consumers to shut all taps when not in use as well as cease indiscriminate watering of lawns with treated water.
Consumers have also been encouraged to repair all leakages in homes and report all burst pipes to ease the pressure on water systems.
The GWCL has currently resorted to water demand management to ensure equitable distribution of the little water currently being produced at the various treatment plants,†it announced in the press release.
GWCL says has also made its numbers available for prompt response to complaints and that the management of GWCL is doing everything possible is being done to ameliorate the situation.
The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) is repairing portions of its biggest transmission pipeline to be completed within a week.
The GWCL is spending four million Ghana Cedis to replace 120 metres length of the 42-inch diameter damaged transmission pipe-line that transmit water from Kpong to Eastern part of the Greater Accra Region.
Residents in affected areas in the eastern part of Accra were asked by the GWCL to store water ahead of the works.
Mr Charles A. Brobbey, Regional Chief Manager, ATMA Production Region of the GWCL, revealed this to the media when officials of the company inspected the ongoing works.
Mr Brobbey said the about 50 years old pipe-line had been giving way, resulting in the causing in the loss of huge volumes of water daily which had drained it financially and supply to customers.
He added that the entire 43 kilometre stretch transmission pipe-lines from Kpong to Tema would be done in pieces as and when funds were available, explaining that the current portion being changed was the worst affected area.
He indicated that they were using coated steel pipe-line to replace the old lines to ensure that it withstood the corrosive and aggressive nature of the soil.
Mr Brobbey cautioned people against building on the transmission line saying “it is like a pipe, if you build on it and there is a problem it your building can come downâ€.
He said his outfit would to pull down structures to make way for repairs.
Stanley Martey, GWCL Communications Manager, said all needed logistics and personnel were put in place before the commencement of work therefore it was their hope to complete the work within four days devoid of any unforeseen circumstances such as the rains.
Mr Martey said they would immediately start production after completion of work adding that it would however take some time for the water to run through the transmission lines for water to reach clients.
The Ghana News Agency observed that work was earnestly being done by engineers who were seen welding the pipe-lines together.
The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) will from today, shut down the Kpong Treatment Plant that serves water to the north eastern parts of Accra for repair works.
As a result, water supply will be interrupted from 6 a.m. today to 6 a.m. tomorrow, August 6, 2020.
A statement by the company said communities to be affected include Dodowa, Frafraha, Adentan, Ogbojo, Madina, Ashaley Botwe, Adjiringanor, East Legon, Agbogba, Haatso, Atomic, Ashongman, Dome and other surrounding communities.
“The management of GWCL, therefore, wishes to inform members of the general public, as well as institutions or organisations within the affected areas, to bear with the situation and store enough water ahead of the shutdown,†a release signed by the Chief Manager in charge of Public Relations and Communications, Mr Stanley Martey, said.
The statement gave an assurance that engineers of the company would work within schedule and that supply would resume immediately when works were completed.
Background
The Kpong treatment plant in 2010 underwent some expansion works to increase supply of water from 40 million gallons to 80 million gallons a day.
The project was undertaken by Messrs China Gezhouba and Power Group Company Limited and was completed in December 2014 ahead of the scheduled contractual completion date of June 2015.
The cost of the project was $273 million.
Parliament approved a $260 million preferential buyer’s credit agreement between the Government of Ghana and China through the Exim Bank of China.
The scope of works for the project included the construction of a new 353,000 cubic metre per day intake, expansion of the treatment plant to 250,000 cubic metre per day and construction of new transmission mains through Dodowa, Adentan to the Accra Booster Station.
Other works involved the provision of dedicated electricity supply, distribution improvement and construction of terminal reservoirs at Madina, Boi and Okponglo.
The project has improved the water situation in its supply areas such as Adentan, Madina, Kwabenya, Ashongman, North, East and West Legon, Ashaley Botwe, Haatso, Dome and surrounding areas.
The Ghana Water Company (GWCL) has revealed that the free water package President Akufo-Addo announced some months ago, will end on June 30, 2020.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in an address to the nation in April announced a free water package for Ghanaians. The measure was to alleviate the pressure on citizens, especially vulnerable families, as a results of the COVID-19 outbreak in the country.
“The Ghana Water Company Limited and the Electricity Company of Ghana have been directed to ensure the stable supply of water and electricity during this period. There will be no disconnection of supply.” He assured.
GWCL in a statement copied to GhanaWeb reminded Ghanaians that the days of ‘freebies’ are over.
“The month of June marks the end of the Governments directive to the Ghana Water Company Limited to serve Ghanaians with water for free as part of measures to curb the rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Customers of GWCL must please note, that from hence, the payment of water bills will be the responsibility of the customer. The Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, and the Management of Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) therefore wish to inform consumers and the general public that the last day of June 2020, officially ends the free water delivery.â€The statement read.
The GWCL assured customers that meter readers, and all frontline staff will continue to adhere and practice in full, all the protocols to protect themselves before accessing their premises to read meters.
Some residents of Tema have bared their teeth at the Ghana Water Company Limited for making their taps run dry for four days.
The Tema metropolis and its environs from Wednesday had interruptions in their water supply as the GWCL embarked on an unannounced emergency maintenance work schedule.
The residents speaking to the Ghana News Agency, said the water shortage made it difficult for them to fully comply with the COVID-19 protocols, especially the handwashing under running water.
They explained that due to the unavailability of water, some residents were resorting to collecting water from any available source for domestic use, a situation which could lead to spread of communicable diseases.
According to them, they had exhausted the little water stored before the unannounced interruptions in water supply, indicating that they were now resorting to only the use of hand sanitizers which does not give full protection like hand washing.
Mr Shadrach Tetteh, a resident of Tema Community Four, told the GNA that he did not have water to even bathe before going to work adding that if the taps were not opened by the close of day, it meant he would not be able to do proper bathing when he returned home, fearing that he could be exposing his family to any bacteria and possibly COVID-19 virus he might have had contact with.
Mr Tetteh said “how do they expect us to practice the hand washing when they have closed the taps for the past four days without making provision for water tankers to provide water to us since they did not give us advance notice to enable us store enough waterâ€.
He added that the water shortage was so bad that he saw some residents of Tema Community One, drawing water from drains.
Mr Lawer Turson Coffie, a septuagenarian resident of Tema Community Eight, told the Ghana News Agency that he did not have water at home, describing the situation as “frustrating” as he had to beg for water from neighbours.
Mr Coffie appealed to the GWCL to urgently restore the flow of water or send tankers around as they embark on the maintenance works.
Ms Rebeca Afari, a hairdresser and resident of Community One, Site One, said she could not fill her veronica bucket for hand washing, revealing that she had to buy three bags of water sachets daily for the family to bathe and cook with.
Ms Afari said it was inappropriate for GWCL to embark on such an exercise without notice or provision of water for residents.
Mr Sampson Ampah, Tema Regional Communication Manager of GWCL, apologized to residents for not giving them ample notice before the shutdown, explaining that it was due to the emergency nature of the works.
Mr Ampah however indicated that the maintenance work had been completed but engineers of the company were undertaking an integrity test after which water supply would be fully restored.
The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) has distributed 500 packs of bottled water produced by the company to four hospitals in Accra to support medical practitioners in the frontline of the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.
They are the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, which received 200 packs; the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, the 37 Military Hospital and the Tema General Hospital, which got 100 packs each.
The Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Mrs Cecilia Dapaah, who led a team of officials from the GWCL to make the presentation, assured the hospitals that the water would be replenished when needed.
She noted that it was important for medical officers to have adequate access to drinking water, as it was essential for them to drink a lot of water, and commended them for putting in their best to fight the virus.
Tanker services
Mrs Dapaah stressed that water was essential in the effort by Ghanaians to take precautions against the COVID-19.
She urged those who offered water tanker services to improve their services in communities and advised them against price hikes, saying that would prevent a lot of people from getting access to water.
She indicated that the GWCL had put forward emergency numbers which one could call 24/7 and get served.
Appreciation
The Chief Executive Officer of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr Daniel Asare; the Commander of the 37 Military Hospital, Brigadier General Nii Adjah Obodai; the Medical Director of the Tema General Hospital, Dr Richard Anthony, and the Medical Director of the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, Dr Emmanuel Srofenyo, receiving the water on behalf of their facilities, thanked the GWCL for the gesture, and stressed their commitment to work together with stakeholders to fight the virus.
They called on entities to support the facilities with the necessary personal protective equipment.
The Management of Ghana Water Company Limited,(GWCL) has introduced a temporary billing regime to bill customers based on an average of their last three months consumption(Jan-March).
In a statement issued by the Public Relations Officer of the company, Stanley Martey said this has become necessary so as to reduce the frequency of visits by Meter Readers to the premises of customers following the deadly covid-19 pandemic.
Meanwhile, the company has assured it will revert to meter readings by Meter Readers when the situation normalizes.
It further indicated that all anomalies will be rectified in due time, adding “if you have consumed more or less than you have been billed over the period, it will reflect in the meter readings, and subsequently be corrected by the billing system.â€
“Management wishes also to advise customers that, although all offices of the GWCL remain open during this period, customers are encouraged to pay their bills via Mobile Money with all the telecommunication networks,†the statement added.
The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) says it has begun rationing water in some parts of the country due to a number of factors affecting the treatment and distribution of water.
The factors include low pressure from its treatment plants, low levels of water bodies, illegal mining activities (galamsey), the high demand for water and high turbidity of water.
The Public Affairs Manager of the GWCL, Mr Stanley Martey, told the Daily Graphic in Accra yesterday that some of the areas where the rationing was going on were Teshie and Dansoman in Accra and the Tamale and the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolises.
He said the company was working tirelessly to resolve some of the challenges which were within their means.
He said the challenge within Accra was the result of low pressure and the high demand for water, although the treatment plants at Kpong and Weija were functioning.
“There is also the issue of burst pipes in the communities. When that happens, we isolate or shut down that particular area, so we can have the pipeline to work on and there are several of them,†he said, adding: “As we speak now, there is some improvement in the system.â€
Other regions
In the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis, Mr Martey explained, the main challenge, apart from the low levels of water, was the continued galamsey activities on the Pra River.
He said the company produced only 11 million gallons of water daily from its treatment plants at Inchaban and Daboase, out of which only three million gallons were currently treated.
“We lose about 40 per cent of available water because the water is very dirty and filthy. With the remaining 60 per cent, we are forced to use a lot more chemicals than we usually do because of the high turbidity, making the cost of treatment very high. Now we don’t have enough in the system to meet the demand of the population in Sekondi-Takoradi,†he noted.
In Tamale, he mentioned, among other things, sand winning on the Nawuni River (White Volta) and the over-reliance on the use of water from the GWCL for car washing and animal rearing as the major causes of the water shortage.
Fight against galamsey
Stressing the damage caused by illegal mining, he called on all to join in the fight to help the company have enough clean water to treat and distribute.
“Looking at the rate at which galamsey is being done on the Pra River, if we do not stop it within the next month and we do not get rains within the period, then we may have to shut down the treatment plants at Inchaban and Daboase,†he said.
On the way forward, Mr Martey urged the public to report any burst pipe or leakage that might occur in their communities for repairs.
He also urged them to minimise the use of water from the GWCL to water their lawns, wash their cars, among others.
The offices of the Electoral Commission and the Ghana Water Company in Winneba in the Effutu Municipality of the Central Region have been burgled by suspected robbers.
Speaking to Kasapa FM News Yaw Boagyan, the Municipal Director of the Electoral Commission Madam Emilia Ama Akotia said four well-built robbers reportedly managed to tie up the security man and made away with their laptops, flat-screen television, fridges and many other items.
The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) has resumed the supply water to some parts of Accra following the completion of repair works on its damaged pipelines.
Water supply to some areas in the capital was disrupted on Thursday after the Weija Treatment Plant was shut down.
The Company said the plant had to go off to enable it to determine the extent of damage to some major pipelines around the Obetsebi Lamptey interchange.
But a day after the suspension, a message from the company indicated that repair works have been successfully completed and that full operations are expected to resume by close of day today, Friday.
“We are happy to inform you that the repair work which was carried out during the night and has been completed successfully. Water production has resumed at the Weija Treatment Plant. As you may well know, it will take a little longer for all to get water especially those on higher grounds but the system should be fully charged for all to get water from midday to close of work today. We remain at your service.â€
A few weeks ago, the company suspended water supply to Dodowa, Adentan, Madina and other communities in parts of Accra over power challenges.
The Ghana Water Company said it could not pump or supply water from the Dodowa Booster station which serves the North-Eastern part of Accra, as a result of the destruction of some electrical cables that feed the station.
The Ghana Water Company Limited, GWCL has suspended water supply to Dodowa, Adentan, Madina and other communities in parts of Accra following power challenges. The Ghana Water Company said it is unable to pump or supply water from the Dodowa Booster station which serves the North-Eastern part of Accra, as a result of the destruction of some electrical cables that feed the station.
“Management of GWCL, therefore, wishes to inform members of the general public as well as institutions or organizations within the affected areas to bear with the situation, while engineers work around the clock to rectify the situation.â€
“Management of GWCL wishes to assure the public that GWCL Engineers are working together with GRIDCo to rectify the situation and water supply will resume as soon as repair works are completed.â€
Communities likely to be affected include Frafraha, Ogbojo, Ashaley Botwe, Adjirinano, East Legon, Agbogba, Haatso, Atomic, Ashongman, Dome and other surrounding communities.
Read the full statement below:
INTERRUPTION OF WATER SUPPLY TO NORTHEASTERN ACCRA
The Management of Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL), wishes to inform the general Public, that Power supply to the Dodowa Booster Station has been curtailed following a destruction of some electrical cables that feed the Booster Station with power. As a result, Ghana Water Company Limited, is unable to pump or supply water from the Dodowa Booster Station which serves the North Eastern Part of Accra.
Management of GWCL, therefore, wishes to inform members of the general public as well as institutions or organisations within the affected areas to bear with the situation, while Engineers work around the clock to rectify the situation.
Communities that are likely to be affected include; Dodowa, Frafraha, Adenta, Ogbojo, Madina, Ashaley Botwe, Adjirinano, East Legon, Agbogba, Haatso, Atomic, Ashongman, Dome, and other surrounding communities.
Management of GWCL wishes to assure the general public that GWCL Engineers are working together with GRIDCo to rectify the situation and water supply will resume as soon as repair works are completed.
