Accra to get 1.5 million gallons more water

Page 20 Feb 4/2008

Story: Charles Benoni Okine

AQUA Vitens Rand Limited, operators of urban water systems in the country, will soon make available up to 1.5 million gallons of water from mechanised bore holes drilled in some parts of Accra to augment water supply to consumers within the underserved areas.
The areas include Achimota, Taifa, Ashongman, Madina and its surrounding areas.
The Managing Director (MD) of Aqua Vitens Rand, Mr Andrew Barber, announced this when he spoke to journalists at the weekend on what the company was doing to reduce the perennial water shortages in many areas of the region.
The total demand for water in the region stands at about 140 million galllons; about 50 million gallons more than the production from the two main sources, Weija and Kpong water works.
Presently, work is underway at Weija to increase production levels by an additional 15 million gallons by the middle of the year. When this is done, the water deficit in the region would reduce to about 34 million gallons per day.
Mr Barber said the company was on course with its mandate of operating the water systems in the urban areas of the country.
He said revenue generation was also on course as frantic efforts had been made to reduce the quantity of unaccounted for water, which arose as a result of illegal connections.
‘We have begun a customer survey using the Geological Information System (GIS) to map out houses where customers of the company live. The move is intended to ensure that all those houses are rightly connected and the people pay their bills,” he said.
He said so far some preliminary results indicated that although some residents had meters, they were not paying for the water they used.
The MD said the system being used was hi-tech and indicated that it would be able to identify all households which did not pay for water.
“Those who hide under some excuses will be exposed in due course, because every household would be on the radar,” he said, adding that each property would be registered so that supply can be validated.
He said the system also had the potential for identifying leakage on pipes for prompt repairs to ensure that the water which would have gashed out, rather went to consumers.
Mr Barber said a pilot study of the system was on course and would take up to 13 months to complete.
On the rationing of water, he stated that water supplied to areas which had it constantly had been reduced to make more water available for areas which either had very little or none at all.
The MD admitted that some consumers were complaining, but explained that it was better and rational for all those connected to have a fair share of the water produced, hence the decision of the company to ration the water.
“Things are improving and we hope that when the various projects are finished, things would work out for every customer of the company to enjoy,” he added.
Mr Barber also indicated that the recent increase in tariffs was a good idea as it was gradually moving the company to full-cost recovery.
He said the company would be able to expedite action on expansion projects when there was money, and pledged the commitment of the company to ensure that consumers had their money’s worth.
Mr Stanley Martey, the Communications Manager of the company, said the company had placed about 80 water tanks at vantage points at Teshie to improve water supply to that area.
The tanks were filled with the assistance of water tanker services from the company, and expressed the hope that the residents in the area would be relieved with the move taken by the company.