TV3’s Catherine Frimpomaa says the company’s plan to introduce a pre-paid water metering system, could be hampered by illegal connections.
In 2014, the Ghana Water Company in partnership with the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing, declared its intention to introduce pre-paid water meters.
According to the company, this was an effective to manage revenue loss and wastage in its operations.
Although the news did not go down well with some consumers, with civil society kicking against the metering of water which is a basic need, the company embarked on a pilot project in some communities in Accra and Kumasi.
But the findings so far from the pilot project, will make it impossible for the implementation, according to the company.
“There were a lot of bypasses and illegal connections but this time we are getting very good equipment so that we can overcome the process. We are thinking of pother sophisticated equipment so that it will be very difficult for people to do bypasses and illegal connections. We are losing a lot; our non-revenue water is about 42% of the water that we produce and a greater percentage of this 40% is lost through illegal connections” said Stanley Mantey, Public Relations Officer of the Ghana Water Company Limited.
Mr. Stanley Mantey said the inability of government institutions to pay their debt is also affecting operations of the company.
“We are working hard to retrieve our monies. We are having challenges with the MMDAs but we are meeting and engaging them and also added some human face to the situation. But if they become recalcitrant, then we would have to take other drastic measures and we wouldn’t relent on that at all”.
At the launch of the 50th anniversary of the Ghana Water Company, the Minister of Water Resources Works and Housing, Kwaku Agyemang Mensah reiterated governments commitment to attaining a universal water supply by 2025.
He said the company is gradually gaining its criticized image. Others speakers praised the Ghana Water Company for improved water supply.
As part of activities marking the 50th anniversary, government has refurbished the company’s 50 year old office complex at a cost of 3.8 million dollars.
The anniversary will be climaxed with a durbar on October 22, 2015.
By:3news.com/Ghana