Government directs GWCL to improve operational efficiency

The Government has directed the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) to undertake effective measures to improve its operational efficiency to reduce unacceptable non-revenue losses which amount to about fifty-two percent.

Per the directive, the GWCL would, therefore, have to undertake an intensive restructuring effort, streamline its procurement systems to introduce modern ICT into its management practices.

Mr. Joseph Kofi Adda, the Minister for Water Resources and Sanitation who disclosed this during the inauguration of the 3.3 million gallons of water per day Water Treatment Plant at Jambusi in the Wa West District of the Upper West Region said the directive came demonstrate government’s sensitivity to the burden of consumers.

He announced that in furtherance of this, government had approved eight million Euros from the Unicredit Bank of Austria to implement a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system.

The system, he said would enable GWCL to reduce water losses through effective monitoring and repairing of leakages in broken pipelines as well as in detecting and halting illegal connections.

“The collaboration of the Korean Exim Bank to conclude this project with the extension of additional pipelines to all parts of the Wa Municipality and the application of the SCADA system to cover all the pipelines within the area will certainly make Wa an adopted city of Korea”, Mr. Kofi Adda said.

He announced that government had also secured US$45.7million through the World Bank to continue the Sustainable Water Rural Water and Sanitation Project to supply water to the other districts of the Upper West Region.

He hinted that the project would also be implemented in over ninety other districts in five other regions in the country namely; Upper East, Northern, Brong Ahafo, Western and Central Regions.

“This project is in furtherance of the President’s agenda of ensuring “Water for All” throughout the country, he said.

Mr Kofi Adda congratulated Messrs Kolon Pyunghwa Consortium, the contractor of the Wa Water Supply Project, the GWCL and members of the Jambusi Community for their cooperation in ensuring the successful completion of the project.

Alhaji Sulemana Alhassan, Upper West Regional Minister admonished the people to be patient and support government to deliver on its juicy promises to make life comfortable for all in the country.

Naa Sohimwininye Danaa Gore II, Paramount Chief of the Dorimon Traditional Area thanked government for the water project, adding it had come to ease the water challenges facing the people especially women.

He appealed to government to construct a bridge across the river to connect the area to their neighboring brothers in Burkina Faso to promote movement of goods and services.

The Paramount Chief appealed to the President to pay attention to the poor road network in the area and see to the completion of the Dorimon Community Day Senior High School (SHS) to make SHS education available at their doorsteps.

President Nana Akufo-Addo on Monday inaugurated the Wa Water Supply project on the first day of his seven-day tour of the Regions of the North.