Cape Coast: The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) has reduced water supply to residents in the Central Regional capital, Cape Coast, and its surrounding communities from 18,000 cubic meters to 9,000 cubic meters. This reduction represents a 50 percent cut in water supply, which has become a recurring issue, worsened by climate change, the company's financial challenges, and human activities such as farming along riverbanks.
According to Ghana News Agency, more than 300,000 residents have been significantly affected, with many forced to travel long distances to find water, often from unhygienic sources. Nana Yaw Barima Barnie, GWCL's Central and Western Regional Public Relations Officer, stated that the company is grappling with the dry season and increased demand. He refuted claims of facility breakdowns and assured that water supply would improve with the arrival of the rains.
Mr. Barnie highlighted the impact of customer indebtedness on the company's operations and the provision of consistent water services. He noted that over 50 percent of customers have not been paying their water bills regularly, causing financial strain on GWCL and leading to potential legal action against defaulters. He encouraged customers to use the e-billing system for timely payments to enhance service delivery.
Some residents, as reported by the Ghana News Agency, have resorted to buying water from private vendors at high prices, with some spending GHC80 for just eight gallons every five days. Madam Sabina Amoah, a resident, expressed that the water shortage has imposed financial burdens on her limited income, affecting her health and hygiene as she often has to rely on unsafe water sources or bottled water due to the unreliable public supply.
