GWCL resorts to rationing water due to shortfall

The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) has resorted to rationing water to meet demand in the wake of the dry season which has led to fall in water supply.
The GWCL has described the move as a water demand management which, it says, will ensure equitable distribution of water to consumers across the country.

It has, therefore, advised consumers to ensure the judicious use of water by, among others, avoiding indiscriminate watering of lawns with treated water, moderating the use of treated water for car washing by resorting to the use of buckets, instead of hosing, shutting all taps when not in use, in their various homes and offices.

A press statement dated January 12 and issued by the Public Relations and Communications Unit of the GWCL said consumers were experiencing erratic flow of water in some parts of the country as a result of the dry season.

The statement said all District Offices had been requested to announce to customers days when water would be flowing so customers could store some water.

Treated water

The statement said the use of treated water by consumers for keeping lawns green, for commercial washing of vehicles coupled with greater dependence on rainwater had also compounded the problem by taking to treated water use.

These practices, the GWCL explained, eased the pressures in the pipelines thereby causing low pressures and no flow in some areas, especially the hilly areas.

Concern

The statement said management of GWCL was also concerned about the impact of the dry season on the raw water sources, which had been compounded by activities of illegal alluvial mining, popularly known as galamsey.

The GWCL further assured the general public that the company, together with the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources, was working to improve on water delivery in the country.