A woman and some children in the area carrying water from a stream
Residents of Sekondi-Takoradi have in the last six months been battling with water shortages, compelling most of them to rely on streams, boreholes and hand dug wells as alternative sources of water.
Over the period, the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) has been rationing the supply of water, making it extremely difficult for the residents to have free flow of water through their taps, a situation which is creating a lot of inconveniences for them.
It is therefore very common these days seeing women and children with yellow gallons or buckets in search of water in Ghana’s oil city.
Management of GWCL however says the situation is due to pollution and the low level of River Pra, the main source of water in the area.
At a media briefing in Takoradi last Friday, Nana Yaw Bannie, the company’s Western Regional Public Relations Officer, stated that the water rationing currently ongoing in Sekondi-Takoradi will persist for some time.
This, he said, is because GWCL currently cannot meet the daily supply target of 15 million gallons for all the residents, adding that the two treatment plants at Daboase and Inchaban together produce less than seven million gallons per day.
New water project
Nana Yaw Bannie was however optimistic that the water situation in the Western regional capital will improve with the construction of another plant at Daboase by the Akufo-Addo-led government.
He reiterated that the ongoing project scheduled to be completed in 2025, will produce 22 million gallons of water daily.
Nana Yaw Bannie noted that following some intermittent rains recently, the level of River Pra increased marginally but that could not really help the situation. He was quick to add that the activities of illegal miners, popularly called galamsey, along the banks of the river, are adversely affecting the treatment and supply of water by GWCL.
He, therefore, urged the residents not to blame GWCL for rationing available water but direct their anger and frustrations at galamseyers.
The regional PRO lamented that GWCL spends thousands of cedis in dredging sand and silt deposits from River Pra before treating it for supply.
He also cited the constant breakdown of dredging and pumping machines as an additional cost to the company.
Nana Yaw Bannie expressed fears that GWCL will continue bearing the brunt of galamsey if concrete measures are not taken to stop the menace.
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