The Sanitation and Water Resources Minister-designate, Cecilia Dapaah has disclosed that 10 million people in urban areas benefited from the government’s free water programme.
She made this remark when she appeared before the Appointments Committee of Parliament on Tuesday, February 23, 2021.
“The amount of money that we spent on the good people of Ghana to make sure there is no outbreak of cholera, dysentery, and other diseases during this COVID-19 period was GHS840 million. For urban water, 10 million people benefited but I’m yet to get the final figure for rural water.”
At the initial stages of the Coronavirus pandemic in Ghana, the government announced three-month free water for Ghanaians.
President Akufo-Addo made the first announcement on Sunday, April 5, 2020, when he disclosed that the government will foot water bills of all Ghanaians for April, May, and June 2020 following an increase in the country’s coronavirus cases amidst a partial lockdown of the epicentres of the disease.
The government subsequently extended the free water policy twice, ending December 2020.
In his 21st COVID-19 update to the nation on Sunday, January 3, 2021, President Akufo-Addo further announced that lifeline electricity consumers and households whose water usage do not exceed five cubic metres per month will not pay for the utilities in January, February, and March 2021.
