Aqua Vitens improves on revenue generation

Business Pg Feb. 13/2008

Story: Charles Benoni Okine

AQUA Vitens Rand Limited (AVRL), managers of Ghana Water Company Limited, increased its revenue generation to GH¢61.4 million in 2007 from GH¢51.6 million which it recorded 2006.
The management contractors attributed the 20 per cent revenue increase to prudent operations and improvement in the billing system, which raised revenue collection levels by about 25 per cent.
The General Manager, Liaison of the company, Mr Kwaku Sakyi-Addo, told the Daily Graphic that “the actual volume of water sold grew by a modest four per cent, contributing to the growth in revenue collection”.
“This growth in revenue collection also was partly due to a tariff increase in 2007, and the company's success in identifying and billing commercial users who were previously paying domestic tariffs,” he stated.
Mr Sakyi-Addo said the AVRL had also established Loss Control Teams to educate the public, as well as reduce illegal water-related activities, an area which denied the company huge sums of revenue.
“The revenues are being used to pay for operations, provide transport, refurbish head works, improve the work environment and for computerising internal communications facilities,” he stated.
Additionally, a lot of investments would go into the repair and maintenance of existing facilities across the country as well as put up a call centre to improve customer service delivery.
The company is presently working on the provision of up to 1.5 million gallons of water from mechanised bore holes in some parts of Accra to augment water supply to consumers within the underserved areas, including Achimota, Taifa, Ashongman, Madina and surrounding areas.
The total demand for water in the region stands at about 140 million galllons a day; about 50 million gallons more than the production from the two main sources, Weija and Kpong Water Works.
Mr Sakyi-Addo said work was underway at Weija to increase production levels by an additional 15 million gallons by the middle of the year to reduce the water deficit in the region to about 34 million gallons a day.