Ghana Water Company on warpath; Disconnects supply to three institutions in Kumasi

The Ashanti Regional office of the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) yesterday disconnected water supply to three public institutions because they owe the company GH¢7.3 million.

They are the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science of Technology (KNUST), which owes GWCL GH¢6 million; the Kumasi Polytechnic, GH¢456,777.40, and the Ghana Prisons Service staff quarters, GH¢826,700.

Directive

Speaking to the Daily Graphic after the disconnection exercise, the Ashanti Regional Communications Director of the GWCL, Mr Sampson Ampah, said it had to embark on the exercise following the refusal of the institutions to pay up their debts.

He said some time last year, the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing sent a directive to all ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) that the government would no longer pay for their water consumption.

Following that, he said, the GWCL wrote to the institutions indicating that the company would be billing them for their water consumption and asked them to make arrangements to pay.

Reminders

According to him, the GWCL had sent reminders to the affected institutions and held meetings with some of them on the need for them to pay their bills. 

He said while some public institutions, particularly first and second-cycle schools, had accepted the new directive and made efforts to pay for their water consumption, many of tertiary and other institutions had refused to pay their debts.

Mr Ampah said as part of its internal reforms, the GWCL was embarking on a revenue mobilisation exercise to ensure that it retrieved all debts owed it by individuals and institutions.

He said the exercise was not limited to only those institutions but would be extended to all debtors, including individual households.

He explained that the exercise also formed part of the 100 high impact programme the company signed with the ministry, in collaboration with the World Bank, to improve on its performance.

He said as part of the exercise, the GWCL would improve on its performance and expand its operations.

KNUST appeal 

When contacted, the Deputy Registrar in charge of University Relations at KNUST, Mr Vincent Ankomah Lomotey, admitted that the university owed the GWCL but said “we cannot pay the bill”.

He said the university was aware of the directive and had also made an appeal to the ministry to reconsider the decision, as the university would have to pass on the bill to its students, saying “that will be too much for parents to bear”.

In spite of the disconnection, he said, there was no problem with academic activities, as most of the halls had boreholes.

He said if there was any disconnection at all, “it is the residences that will be affected and not the hostels or halls of residence”.

Mr Lomotey said the university’s appeal to the government was to rescind the decision to make universities pay for their utility bills, as they would be forced to pass the bills on to students.

As of press time yesterday, water supply to the KNUST was being restored after its officials had met with officials of the GWCL to discuss the payment of the outstanding bill.

However, the company was yet to reconnect water supply to the Kumasi Polytechnic and the Ghana Prisons Service staff quarters.