The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) is blaming the acute water shortage at the Koforidua Prisons and its environs on the erratic power supply.
The prison, which has over 800 inmates has not had water from the taps for months.
Prison officials say inmates have been left with skin infections as a result of the water shortage.
The situation came to the fore when some journalists toured the facility last week to assess inmates’ accessibility to safe water as part of activities to mark this year’s World Water Day, which was commemorated on March 22, 2019.
GWCL has said it is not to blame for the situation.
The officials say inconsistent electricity supply does not allow the pumping of water from the Bukornu water treatment plant to consumers in the area.
The Eastern Regional Public Relations Officer for the Ghana Water Company Limited, Kwadwo Daase said he fears the situation will get worse if the power cuts persist.
“We are facing problems with power supply and when this happens, in effect it means we don’t have power to continue producing and pumping the water to Koforidua, and its environs so the fear is that, if it prolongs, definitely, it will affect supply and there will be shortage in town. This is serious so we are worried that it would seriously affect water supply in town.”
The situation is similar to what exists in the Northern Region where the water company says it has already lost 66 hours of production time in March alone due to power outages.
The PRO of the Company, Nicholas Nii Abbey said the situation is to blame for the shortage of water in several parts of the region.
The power supply has been erratic across the country with many businesses are already complaining about the effect of the situation.
The government has said that it will take about 12 days for the situation to normalize but group such as the Africa Center for Energy Policy (ACEP) have urged the government to release a schedule for the power outages to enable companies and individuals to prepare for the outage.
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By: Jonas Nyabor | citinewsroom.com | Ghana