Ghana Water Company opposes downward revision of tariffs
The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) says any attempt to review downward the recent increment in water tariffs granted by the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) will be unfavourable to the Company’s operations.
Mr Stanley Martey, the Head of Communications of the GWCL, said the Company which operates 88 plants nationwide spends GH¢8 on every cubic metre of water processed but sells to the public for only GH¢1.78.
He said the Company produces over a million cubic metres of water on a daily basis for urban areas of the country; and that GWCL was running at a loss; hence unable to undertake maintenance of its facilities due to lack of funds.
Mr Martey made these remarks on Monday in Accra during a press conference by the Company in response to calls by labour unions and civil society organisations for a downward review of the recent increases in water tariff by 59.2 per cent and electricity by 67.2 per cent granted by the PURC.
He said illegal mining activities along river banks in the country was also having serious repercussions on the operational cost of GWCL, as more chemicals were required for the purification of pipe-borne water.
Mr Martey said the recent fish farming activities on the Volta Lake and Volta River was increasing their operational cost as well, as fish meal ends up polluting the water bodies.
He said as part of efforts to ensure that all areas within Accra have regular water supplies, a $48 million project funded by the World Bank would commence this year.
He said an amount of $3 billion was required by the GWCL to implement 20 major projects nationwide, to ensure that all urban communities in the country were 100 per cent connected to water by the year 2025.
Mr Cephas Oguah, the Chief Manager, Corporate Planning, GWCL, lauded the security forces in their efforts to arrest the menace of illegal mining, which he said was impacting negatively on the operations of the Company.
Mr Jonas Jabulo, the Chief Manager, Water Quality, GWCL assured the public that water from the Company was of high quality.
He said most ‘pure water’ companies operating in the country were only repackaging GWCL’s water and selling them to the public.
Source: GNA