Operational factors force GWCL to ration water

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.”

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.