It doesn’t make sense to ration water – Ahi jabs GWCL

A former deputy minister of Water Resources Works and Housing in the erstwhile John Mahama administration, Sampson Ahi cannot come to terms with the Ghana Water Company Limited(GWCL), decision to ration water to customers in Accra and some parts of the country.

He says the inefficiencies of the GWCL have led the country into this situation. He explains that it very strange that Accra and Tema metropolis will experience water rationing considering the available production capacity to serve consumers in the two metropolis.

‘’ I think It is very strange to me that Ghana Water is talking about rationing water in Accra and Tema because I know for a fact that the daily demand for water is one hundred and fifty(150) million gallons per day. We have production capacity of one hundred and fifty seven(157) million gallons per day. So before we left office we could produce and serve the needs of Accra and Tema and still get surplus, so it very difficult to understand the logic behind this so called rationing of water .

‘’When we were in office(NDC), Weija dam was giving us forty three million gallons, the Kpong dam before President Mahama assumed office was giving us forty million gallons but before we left office we added forty million gallons more. The shutdown desalination plant was also giving us over thirteen million gallons, another one by Siemens which was producing over three million gallons per day among others.’’ Mr. Ahi said.

He says the shutdown of the desalination plant has taken away over thirteen million gallons of water supply to consumers in Accra and Tema. For him, the current situation could be attributed to mismanagement on the part of the GWCL.

The GWCL some few days ago begun rationing of water in most parts of the country, they alluded the situation to the dry season, environmental degradation, and the pollution of water bodies by illegal miners.

Those activities according to the GWCL said had derailed their efforts at extracting enough water for treatment, accounting for the inadequate for supply of water to consumers.

According to the GWCL, with exception of the Eastern and Ashanti regions, all the other regions have been affected with the Western region being the hardest hit.

But the Bodi legislator, in an interview on the Gold Power drive, said the current situation cannot be attributed to the change in weather because there have been worse weather patterns in years past.

‘’The weather was worse in 2013 that we could not even generate power from the Akosombo Dam, yet we did not ration water. It not enough for them to tell us galamsey activities are hampering their work. Haven’t they said they have stopped galamsy?. So what are they talking about?’’

He has therefore recommended the desilting of the dried water bodies to salvage the situation.