Dr. Clifford Braimah, Managing Director of Ghana Water Company (GWCL), has disclosed that the weak nature of some structures have contributed to the water supply problems in the country.
Speaking in an interview, he averred that maintenance works have not taken place in a long time resulting in some structures becoming very weak.
His comments come on the back of the recent water shortages across the urban areas in the country which he disclosed is being worked on.
“The company is a very old one and in the past people did not think of the maintenance of the facility. Because of the old nature of the structure, which has also affected the pipelines making it very weak, pushing water to the increasing population has become a big difficulty.
“If you reduce the water that comes in too there will be a shortage. We did same last year before the water stabilized but we had to replace some of these weak pipes. So, we are doing that too this year. The beautiful thing about it is that when we do it [the pipe], it doesn’t matter the number of years, the pipe is not going to be one age across. So, anytime there has to be a replacement, the person in charge will be able to take that decision.”
Dr, Braimah
Old pipelines have ingrowths
Dr. Braimah further lamented that some of the old pipelines have ingrowths and as such the diameters through which water can be supplied has reduced drastically. According to him the amount of water that can be pushed through these pipes are limited.
“All these things needed to be replaced a long time ago. But today we are here and we can no longer complain. The people will not listen to you. So, we have to take initiative to ensure these things are fixed so that we can serve all.
“So, these are combined challenges that we have to handle. It is unfortunate that this has happened in our time.”
Dr. Braimah
Dr. Braimah averred that the current tariffs cannot do anything looking at the situation the GWCL is facing currently. Moreover, he said Ghanaians cannot be asked to pay the tariffs at the same level as a sub region. He added that the country cannot have tariffs way above the regional average.
“But the kind of investment that we have to do, we have to think of how we are going to invest it.”
Dr. Braimah
According to him the water supply problem is not only Accra based but an issue which cuts across the nation. He therefore called for government to come to the company’s aid to help them tackle the current issues they’re facing with regards to adequate water provision. He said the company cannot do everything and the government must be able to support them.
Touching on the current situation of the water issues, he disclosed that some parts have water supply while some maintenance works are being carried on others to ensure they also receive adequate water supply.
