Community water providers, and not just the Ghana Water Company Limited, are supposed to provide free water to their customers for the next three months amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.
President Nana Akufo-Addo announced that the government will be taking care of the water bills for all Ghanaians for April, May and June 2020.
The Ghana Water Company Limited currently caters for about 66 percent of Ghanaians but there was some uncertainty over whether consumers in other brackets would also benefit from the relief.
Providing clarity on the directive at a press conference in Accra, the Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Madam Cecilia Abena Dapaah noted that all their systems of the “Ghana Water Sanitation Agency…will also provide water for free.”
“Again, all community-based water systems are to serve water to the community residents for free,” she added.
During this period, health facilities will be given priority in the water supply during the period.
“Hospitals, clinics and other health centres will enjoy priority of water as they have been doing. If there is anything, they will call the Ghana Water Company to quickly mobilized tanker services to serve them.”
In addition, tanks will be installed in urban areas and rural areas if necessary “to make sure water is easily accessible.”
All water tankers, publicly and privately-owned, are also going to be mobilised to ensure the supply of water to all vulnerable communities.
Customers will still be sent their bills to track the consumption of households with inscription that the debt had been catered for by government.
The Minister urged the efficient use of water noting that “this is not the time to wash our cars with hoses.”
“We are all encouraged to use water judiciously. Mechanisms are being put in place as we enjoy from the benevolence of our leader to monitor the irresponsible use of water.”
In addition, she urged Ghanaians “to make sure that we do not tamper with the pipelines and infrastructure of both Ghana water Copmanhy limited and community water and sanitation agencies.”
