Residents queue their gallons for hours to grab water from wells
THE GHANA Water Company Limited (GWCL) in the Western Region has explained why it is currently unable to supply potable water to residents of Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis.
Residents of Sekondi Takoradi have been battling an acute water shortage for nearly a month now. The shortage has badly affected homes, several educational institutions and businesses.
The situation has also left many to rely on well water, boreholes and other unhygienic sources of water.
The GWCL has attributed the problem to 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.
Nana Barima Barnie, Communications Manager of GWCL in the region, revealed this in an interview with journalists.
He noted that the Anankware River, which also 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,” he pointed out.
He mentioned that 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,” Mr Barnie added.
He intimated that the result of such developments is that the company is not able to produce enough water for residents, thus, worsening the already bad supply situation in the metropolis.
He indicated that the region has reviewed its water demand management programme to bring equity in the water distribution exercise in the metropolis.
He said it is disturbing, however, to note that, due to the erratic pumping regime, there are still customers who do not receive water during their rationing period.
“Management of the company recognises and shares in the pain of consumers and are now doing everything they can to ameliorate their suffering.
“The efforts include dredging the intake of Daboase Treatment Plant which is currently ongoing,” he pointed out.
FROM Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi