Residents of Accra, Ghana’s capital city, are facing a looming water crisis as the main treatment plant that supplies water to several areas will be shut down for five days for maintenance work.
The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) announced that the Kpong Treatment Plant, which produces about 40 percent of the city’s water demand, will be closed from Sunday, September 24, to Thursday, September 28, 2023, to enable engineers to replace some weak portions of the transmission pipeline.
The affected areas include Gbetsile, Afienya, Zenu, Prampram, Mataheko, Katamanso, Dawhenya, Sakumono, Batsonaa, Klagon, Tema Township, Adjei Kojo, Borteyman, Santeo and surrounding areas.
The GWCL said in a statement issued on Friday that the pipeline repair works were necessary to prevent frequent bursts and leakages that cause the company’s water loss and revenue loss. The statement also said that the works would improve the reliability and quality of water supply to customers in the long term.
The company appealed to customers in the affected areas to store enough water before the shutdown and use it judiciously during the period. It also assured customers that the water supply would resume as soon as the works were completed and apologized for any inconvenience caused by the exercise.
Accra has a population of about five million people and a daily water demand of about 150 million gallons. However, the city’s water production capacity is only about 93 million gallons per day, leaving a deficit of about 57 million gallons per day.
This means that many residents do not have access to regular and adequate water supply and often have to rely on alternative sources such as boreholes, wells, tankers, and sachet water.
The situation is worsened by factors such as rapid urbanization, population growth, climate change, pollution, and illegal connections.
The government has been implementing various projects and interventions to address the water challenges in Accra and other parts of the country. Some of these include expanding and rehabilitating existing treatment plants, constructing new ones, laying new pipelines and meters, drilling boreholes, and promoting rainwater harvesting.
The Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Cecilia Abena Dapaah, recently stated that the government was committed to achieving universal access to safe and affordable water for all Ghanaians by 2030 in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
She said: “Water is life, and we cannot afford to compromise its availability and quality. We are working hard to ensure every citizen can access potable water regardless of location or socio-economic status.”
She also urged the public to conserve water and protect water resources from pollution and degradation.
As Accra prepares for a temporary water shortage due to the maintenance works at the Kpong plant, residents hope that the exercise will improve their water situation in the future and that the government will deliver on its promises to provide sustainable solutions to the city’s water woes.
Source: Modern Ghana.
