Ghana Water Rations Water Over Dry Season, Pollution

The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL), has begun rationing water in some parts of the the country.

This is attributed to the dry season and pollution of water bodies in the Greater Accra, Western Ashanti, Central 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. 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,” GWCL said in a statement.

The Water Company however assured 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,” the statement signed by Stanley Martey, Head, PR & Communications hss said.

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 said it 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.