Water journalists call on govt to improve supply

The Water and Sanitation Journalists Network (GWJN) has called on government and stakeholders to address the lags in the water distribution which continue to deny households of potable water.

The group said though Ghana had met the MDG target of 75 per cent national coverage for potable water, with 85 per cent, there were still some “bottlenecks” in water supply which it has identified through a field survey from March 19 to March 21, in areas meant to be covered by the recently completed water facilities.

The areas include the Shai Osudoku area, Teshie-Nungua, Lashiebi, Spintex Road, the Adenta-Madina-Frafraha area as well as Dome-Kwabenya and the East, West and North Legon areas.

The survey found that though water supply to these communities had improved greatly, many still faced a lack of supply due to ineffective or non-existent distribution networks, fast expansion of settlements and broken and leaking pipes.

GWJN found in La-Nkwantanan electoral area near Madina, that out of 105 Secondary distribution networks only 19 were working and the remaining 86 were broken down.

According to the survey, one unit of the network costs about GH¢4,000.00 making it impossible for poor households and communities to invest in them in the short term.

The statement by GWJN said there was a “growing discontent” among residents in some of the communities about bills.

Many claimed that bills covering the previous five years of no water supply were sent to them by Ghana Water Company Limited immediately they started receiving water last December.

As a result, some households would prefer to return to their reliance on tanker supplies.

The group said with the current trend of lack of reliable and potable water supply to many communities, the country’s development was at risk.

They have therefore called on government to increase investments and budgetary allocations into the water and sanitation sector to prevent needless disease outbreaks and deaths and to bring the associated health, economic and social benefits to the country.