Juapong Elder busted for illegal water connection

The Volta Regional office of the Ghana Water Company (GWC), on Monday busted Ben Elleh, a traditional elder at Juapong, for illegally connecting water to his house at Sokpekope-Juapong.

A task force led by Mr Philip Dwamena-Boateng, Acting Regional Chief Manager, made the discovery, following a tip-off that Elleh, also known as Xosetor, had two connections.

Mr Dwamena-Boateng alleged that Elleh had been stealing water from the GWC lines for a long time.

He said the company was in full gear working on the High Impact Performance Improvement Programme (HIPIP), launched in April, to mobilize revenue, when it unearthed illegal connections and prosecuted culprits.

Mr Theophilus Collins, Commercial Manager who took the media round Elleh’s house, as technicians excavated part of the lines, said he was selling water illegally.

He said GWC had known Elleh as a recalcitrant customer who had refused to pay his bills, because he was a royal, on whose family land GWC facilities were sited.

Mr Collins led officials of the GWC at Juapong to report Elleh to the Police in Juapong, who then moved to his house for on-the-spot inspection, and also invited him through the daughter, to the Police Station.

Elleh was reported to have gone to church at Akosombo, when the Police and officials of the GWC arrived.

Mr Collins said there were strict rules about the re-sale of GWC water, and that if a client in the supply agreement form filled in that water would be used for domestic purposes, “it would have to remain so until a change is granted by the GWC”.

“That is because a change of a client from the domestic to commercial category could alter the flow pattern in that locality,” he stated.