GHANA Water Company Limited (GWCL) has shut down the Accra Desalination Plant which supplies water to residents within Teshie, Nungua and surrounding communities in Accra.
The shutdown, which took effect on January 1, 2018, is to allow the water company to resolve pending challenges it has with management of the desalination plant.
In a statement signed by the Head of Communications at GWCL, Stanley Martey, and copied to Today, the state company indicated that it has made alternative arrangements for water to be supplied to communities who may be affected by the shutdown. “…from the 1st of January, 2018, Teshie, Nungua and surrounding communities served by the Desal Plant, will be served on Wednesdays and on weekends (Friday to Sundays) from alternative sources,” the statement averred.
The operation of the Teshie Desalination Plant has come under scrutiny following claims by the GWCL that it is incurring losses as a result of the operation of the plant. The company insisted that the private firm contracted to operate the plant was raking in more profit at a time when the water company itself was incurring losses.
The Public Utilities Workers Union has called on the government to take a second look at the contract signed with Messrs Befessa to build and operate the desalination plant in Teshie. Per the details of the contract put out by the union, GWCL is required to pay the capacity charge of US$ 1.4 million per month to Messrs Befessa. This charge is payable whether the plant is working or not. Again, GWCL is obliged to pay the electricity bills of the desalination plant which stands at an average of GHC3 million per month (for 2017).
The union insists these payments are having a toll on the water company and thus called on the government to renegotiate the contract.
It is as a result of these challenges that the water company has shut down the plant. “In recent times, the GWCL has encountered some challenges with the management of the plant. As a result water flow to the service area has been erratic.
Management is taking the right steps in resolving the issues and will request of customers and the general public to bear with the company in these times,” the statement said.
Story: Freeman KORYEKPOR AWLESU
Writer’s email: freeman.koryekpor@todaygh.com