Accra, Jan 27, GNA- Residents of East Legon Hills in Accra have appealed to the management of Ghana Water Ltd. (GWL) to urgently intervene in a prolonged and worsening water supply crisis.
The residents say the situation had disrupted their daily lives, affected sanitation, and increased the cost of living in the area.
The residents made the appeal during a visit to the offices of Ghana Water Ltd, where they presented their concerns to management over the persistent water supply challenges confronting the community.
Their grievances were also formally captured in a petition submitted to the Managing Director of the company, calling for urgent intervention to restore reliable water supply to East Legon Hills.
The residents requested immediate relief measures and a sustainable solution to restore consistent water supply to the fast-growing community.
According to the association, some households in East Legon Hills have gone for more than 15 months without water flowing through their taps, while others experience irregular supply with low pressure, making it difficult to store water for basic domestic use.
The situation, ELHRA noted, had compelled the majority of residents to depend entirely on private water tanker services, whose charges have increased sharply, placing severe financial strain on households, schools, and small businesses.
The association said some private schools in the area had increased fees partly due to the high cost of procuring water.
Mr Kweku Bernard, Chairman, Water and Utility Committee of East Legon, expressed concern over billing inconsistencies, explaining that some customers continued to receive and pay bills despite not receiving water, while others recorded zero consumption for several months, creating confusion and mistrust.
He stated that several engagements had been held with district and regional officials of Ghana Water Limited, including meetings that resulted in the introduction of a bi-weekly water supply schedule.
However, the Chairman added that the schedule had not been consistently followed and the situation had deteriorated.
“The prolonged deprivation being experienced by our community is no longer sustainable and is increasingly being viewed as a security concern,” the association said.
Mr Bernard said residents remained committed to cooperation but were losing confidence in the fairness and responsiveness of the utility provider.
The meeting with management of the Company was therefore requested to get some explanation to the root causes of the supply challenges, outline clear timelines for resolution, address billing concerns, and investigate allegations of water diversion by commercial tanker operators.
Mr Michael Botse Baidoo, in response to concerns raised by residents, the Deputy Managing Director of Ghana Water Limited, acknowledged operational challenges within the distribution network and explained that supply difficulties were linked largely to pressure management, pumping regimes, and increasing demand across the Accra metropolitan area.
Mr Botse-Baidoo, who is an engineer, explained that while schedules were designed to ensure equitable distribution, rigid adherence without flexibility in pumping duration could prevent adequate pressure buildup, particularly in elevated communities such as East Legon Hills.
“If pumping is done for short periods, the water cannot build sufficient pressure to reach all areas, especially higher elevations,” he said, adding that longer pumping durations were often required to charge the pipelines fully before water could flow to end users.
He noted that Ghana Water Limited was reviewing its operational approach to improve pressure stabilization and had begun engaging local water and utility committees to ensure better coordination between residents and technical teams on the ground.
Mr Botse-Baidoo also pointed to broader structural challenges confronting the company, including rising demand, ageing infrastructure, and the need for major capital investment to expand production capacity.
Ghana Water Limited has in recent years embarked on network rehabilitation projects and system upgrades across parts of the Greater Accra Region, but rapid urbanisation, population growth, and illegal connections continue to place pressure on supply systems.
The company has also reiterated its commitment to transparent communication with customers and to working with community leadership to manage supply constraints more effectively while long-term infrastructure solutions are pursued.
As a result, a joint committee made up of representatives of the residents and GWL has been constituted to identify and implement immediate relief measures to address the situation.
GNA
Edited by George-Ramsey Benamba