How the GWCL is denying Ghanaians of a basic essential to life; water

Water is essential for life, yet for thousands of Ghanaians in some parts of Accra, the capital city of Ghana, it is a precious resource that is becoming increasingly scarce.

The shortage has become a daunting issue for some residents of Nii Boi Town, Akweteyman, within the Ablekuma West constituency, including areas like Dansoman, West Legon, and Adenta.

For over three weeks now, residents of Akweteyman have been struggling daily to find water for survival.

In the early mornings and afternoons, children and adults can be seen walking around the community, going from house to house in search of water.

In the meantime, residents have been forced to rely on rainwater in recent weeks, but unfortunately, there has not been much rain in the last few days.

The search for water, which can last for hours and often proves fruitless, has also been affecting the punctuality of school children, and adults who wake up early for work.

Financial difficulties and an increase in the sale of Kufuor gallons

Water has now become a luxury commodity, with only families who can afford the services of private vendors at a cost of about GH¢350-GH¢500 can access it.

For those unable to pay, their only option for survival is to buy bags of sachet water, which is equally an expensive option.

Others are forced to travel to nearby communities to purchase well water in Kufuor gallons, which now sell for GH¢15 each at Lapaz.

Silence of the Ghana Water Company

The GWCL app and its associated social media pages, including Facebook and X (formerly Twitter), lack information for consumers to understand the unbearable situation.

On their Facebook page, for instance, with a following of over 14K people, the last post was made on October 23, 2023. It was a livestream titled "Accounting to our customers."

The GWCL website also lacks new updates for customers on what is happening.

On X, the last post was a retweet of a UNDP Ghana post about World Water Day on March 22, 2023.

Reactions

“If I may add, in the month of May, I had no water run through my pipes but they have sent me a bill of GHc500. The GWCL guy who came to my house yesterday said maybe there was a leakage somewhere,” a worried resident at Adenta told GhanaWeb.

On social media, some Ghanaians have also shared their plights, read some of them below:

2 weeks of no water. GWCL what really is the color of your problem?

— Agyenim Boateng Samuel (@hughclaver) June 19, 2024

@GWCL_Gh why are you sending 298gh as bill for the month? The tap hasn’t flowed since the beginning of May and we are in June, so why am I supposed to pay a bill for a service that I didn’t use. The funny thing is the tap flows twice in a week. Please be serious.

— BaBaYaGa 👹 (@major_ity22) June 12, 2024

They are worse than ECG. We’ve only learnt how to survive without them over the years. Every house has a Polytank or barrels. GWCL is 10x worse than ecg https://t.co/gOAE0NRY4o

— Agyarko-Mintah (@BraTumTum) June 7, 2024

@gwcl_updates24

It’s been over a week and not a drop of water has come out of our taps.

What’s our offense?

Are you still going to send alerts of payment due at the end of the month?

— ⚠️ Good Vibes Only (@iOkoree) June 11, 2024