Some water-supplying services in rural communities in the Ashanti region are demanding the payment of arrears owed them by the government for providing free water to consumers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In April 2020, President Akufo-Addo announced a utility package to absorb water and electricity bills for lifeline consumers for a year. However, some community water suppliers say they are yet to receive payment for services provided.
Speaking at the just-ended second conference of the Network of Community Water Services (NETCOWAS), managers of community water supplies at Kuntenase, Boanim, and Ankaase said the government owed them at least 140,000 Ghanaian cedis. The three communities are part of several others across the country owed cumulatively over a million Ghanaian cedis.
In spite of several letters and visits to local assemblies for payment of the arrears, the managers insist their calls have fallen on deaf ears.
Emmanuel Oppong, who speaks for the Boanim Water System operators, lamented the dire state the operators find themselves in due to the government’s failure to pay the monies owed them.
“The problem we face is free water. We supplied free water during the COVID-19 period. We supplied water for free for over a year, and we have been disconnected now. There is no water. We use power, and the Electricity Company of Ghana is on our necks. If it hadn’t been for the rains, there would have been trouble. We are in a dire state. We want the government to pay the debt accumulated from our distribution of the free water within the period.”
The outstanding balance, according to them, is hampering their operations and threatening water supply in these areas.
Their concerns are among other challenges, including ongoing road construction works, confronting members of the Network of Community Water Services (NETCOWAS) in the Ashanti region.
The National Network of Community Water Services (NETCOWAS) is a civil society organization (CSO) in Ghana convened by the Centre for Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (C-WASH). NETCOWAS is a multi-purpose organization created to address the multiple challenges facing piped drinking water services in Ghana and other developing countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.