Gov't supports pre-paid water meters

The Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing has expressed its support for the new policy of the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) to introduce prepaid meters for water consumption by commercial and industrial customers.

According to the Ministry, “GWCL does not intend, at this moment, to apply the same policy to residential and domestic consumers”.

A statement issued by the Ministry and signed by Alhaji Collins Dauda said: “This policy has become necessary because of the willful non-payment of the necessary charges by a number of large-scale users of water, including some producers of sachet water”.

The statement added that the efficient monitoring of water usage by commercial and industrial customers, followed by timely charging and payment, will enhance the capacity of GWCL to produce and supply safe potable water to the public in a more sustainable and affordable way.

The prepaid water system is based on the principle that the water consumptions are calculated, and consumers are charged accordingly in advance. Consumers spend the amount of water loaded from credit sales offices by loading the credit to water meters via smart cards.

The water meter cuts off the water by closing its valve when the credit ends, but when the consumer re-loads the spare credit in smart card to the water meter, the valve will re-open. The spare credits function allows consumers to use water until they re-load the smart card.