GWL assures of efforts to improve water supply in Tema, Ashaiman amid shortages

Ghana Water Limited (GWL) says it is working to address persistent water supply challenges affecting several communities in the Greater Accra Region, particularly areas around Tema and Ashaiman.

The Communications Manager of GWL, Stanley Martey, said the company was constantly monitoring the water distribution system and troubleshooting problems to improve supply and ensure that available water reaches as many consumers as possible.

Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Wednesday, October 7, Mr Martey acknowledged the gap between water demand and supply but said the company was making efforts to manage available volumes more effectively.

“I want to assure the public that we wouldn't sit aloof and do nothing about the situation,” he said.

“As I speak, we are constantly on the ground troubleshooting to ensure that we identify the challenges and have them solved.”

Mr Martey explained that although the current system was unable to meet total demand, better management of the available water could help ensure that households receive water regularly.

“Although we have that gap between demand and supply, we also know that with a little water in the system, we can still distribute it well, so that everybody can have it at least two times a week. And if you're able to store, you should be able to survive it,” he said.

According to Mr Martey, water availability varies from one community to another, depending largely on the location of an area within the distribution network.

“There are areas where, by virtue of their location, they get water, let's say, three days, four days, even throughout the week. So the situation is not as terrible as sometimes we see it,” he said.

He, however, acknowledged that several communities had experienced serious difficulties in recent times.

“In recent times, we've had serious challenges with Golf City, Ashaiman, Gbetsile, Community 24, 25, Prampram, and thereabouts,” he said.

Mr Martey said GWL had been working to identify the specific causes of the problems in those areas and had already resolved some of them.

“We've tried identifying the problem, and as of yesterday, we've been able to identify some of the problems. We've rectified it, and then we are hopeful that there's going to be a lot of improvement,” he said.

He added that the company’s General Manager of Operations was on the ground monitoring the situation and that initial signs pointed to an improvement in the system.

“This morning, I was informed by our General Manager of Operations that there's some improvement in the system. He is on the ground as I speak, and so we are expecting that pressures are going to build up, and a lot more are going to get,” Mr Martey said.

He appealed to residents in the affected communities to remain patient while the company works to restore more consistent supply.

“So, as I apologise to them, I'll expect that they exercise some patience, or plead with them to exercise some patience, whilst we try to solve the problems within the area, and then everybody will be okay,” he said.

Mr Martey said the company was also monitoring water pressure across the network daily to identify areas where intervention was needed.

“I mean, it is not just about customers. We also live within the communities, you understand? We have guys on the ground monitoring on a daily basis, and they report to us,” he said.

He explained that GWL uses monitoring platforms to track pressure levels across the system, allowing its technical teams to respond when pressure drops.

“I can show you platforms where we are recording pressures on an hourly basis. So if you realise that the pressures are low, whatever we have to do to improve the pressures, we do it,” he said.

Mr Martey also pointed to challenges along the water transmission network between Kpong and Tema as one of the factors affecting supply.

He said GWL had previously identified problems along the transmission lines and had invested heavily in replacing weaker sections of the network.

“In recent times, I think about a month ago, we announced to the public that we have identified some problems along our transmission mains from Kpong to Tema,” he said.

According to him, the company found that significant volumes of water were being lost before reaching the Tema booster station.

“Apart from the problems, there are some other weaker areas creating challenges, because when we pump the water from Kpong, we don't get the exact volumes at Tema, at our Tema booster station,” Mr Martey explained.

“For instance, you pump, and by the time it gets to the booster station, we've lost 40 to 50 per cent.”

He said GWL subsequently invested nearly GH¢6 million to replace weak and perforated sections of the transmission lines.

“We needed to find out what it was, so we had to invest close to six million Ghana cedis to change the weaker portions, and then there were perforated lines along the area,” he said.

Mr Martey said the repairs had resulted in more water reaching the Tema system, but low pressure remained a challenge that the company was working to resolve.

“We're expecting that there will be more water. Now we are getting more water, but pressures are rather low, so we still need to troubleshoot and identify the challenges,” he said.

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DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.