Water bill defaulters to be prosecuted- Board

Duayaw Nkwanta (B/A) Jan. 3, GNA - Three institutions and private consumers at Duayaw Nkwanta in the Tano North District who failed to pay their water bills last year would soon be sent to court, Mr. Yaw Konam Gyan, vice chairman of the Duayaw Nkwanta Water and Sanitation Development Board has said.

Non-payment of water levy by some institutions and private consumers has been a major setback for the smooth operation of the water project in the district He said this on Saturday at a public forum organized by the Board at Duayaw Nkwanta in the Brong Ahafo Region.

About 45 to 50 percent of the private consumers were not paying their levy, he said, adding that Duayaw Nkwanta Girls Secondary School, Boakye Tromo Secondary Technical School and Margaret Beuchner Vocational Centre owe the Board a total amount of 48,581,800 million cedis.

He said the Board made a net profit of 150,617,793 cedis from July 2002 to December 2004, which would be use for propose projects in 2005. The projects include the fitting of a new pumping machine, two public standpipes and Jerusalem in the district, two public urinals for the Duayaw Nkwanta lorry park and computers for the Board office. He said the Board, in conjunction with the District Assembly would remove all unauthorized structures and pull down dangerous and dilapidated structures in the district.

He cautioned the public against encroachment of borehole sites, damaging of water taps and illegal connections since they would be made to face the full rigours of the law when caught.

At the Forum, some people asked the board to take immediate actions for defaulters to pay their bills to ensure that quality services were provided to the public.