Follwing the latest directives by the President of Ghana, the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) has cautioned landlords and landladies in the lockdown areas not to sell water to their tenants but must allow them access it without charges for the period.
President Nana Akufo-Addo in his address to the Nation on Sunday, April 5, 2020 announced that water bills of citizens for a period of three months- April, May and June, would be absorbed by the government.
In a statement issued on Friday, April 10, 2020 by Mr. Stanley Martey, Head of PR/ Communications, customers who want to sell water can only do so by visiting the District offices of GWCL for re-categorization.
“Customers on category 611 who sell water to members in their communities should continue but should however visit the district offices of the GWCL for registration and re-categorization to be eligible for the payment of commission/compensation,” the GWCL statement noted.
Also, customers on the commercial category are also to continue selling but must also visit their district offices for registration and re-categorization as well as be eligible for payment of commission due them, the statement added
With the Presidential directive to give free water, there have been numerous misunderstandings, hence the GWCL conducted an investigation through the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources in the Greater Accra Region.
The team for the investigation was spearheaded by the Minister, Hon. Cecilia Abena Dapaah.
The Minister, therefore, tasked GWCL to improve their supervisory and monitory roles to ensure effective compliance of the President’s directives.
Below is the full Statement from Ghana Water
Following the President’s directive of ‘Free Water’, to all Ghanaians from the month of April, May and ending in June 2020, the Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Hon. Cecilia Abena Dapaah has led a team from the Ghana Water Company limited into some communities in Greater Accra to assess the level of compliance of citizens to the directive.
The Minister and the team observed some teething challenges and it is essential that clarity is brought to bear to enable a smooth implementation. The Minister in educating customers made it clear that;
- All customers of the Ghana Water Company Limited who are on category 611(Domestic) will from April to June use water for free within the period and have Government absorb their bills.
- Customers on category 611 who sell water to members in the communities should continue. They should however visit the district offices of the GWCL for registration and re-categorisation to be eligible for the payment of commission/compensation.
- All customers on category 612 (commercial) and are selling the water, must also visit the district offices, also to be re-registered so as to be eligible for commission / compensation.
- All stand-pipes shall be used to serve citizens for free and Government shall absorb the bill and pay commission/compensation to the vendors. Vendors are expected to still mount the stand-pipes and ensure the prudent and judicious use of the water.
- Landlords and landladies who sell water to tenants and community members must allow the use of the water for free from April to June and must also register with the district offices of the GWCL to be eligible for commission/compensation.
Hon. Dapaah admonished the staff of GWCL to step up their monitoring and supervisory roles to ensure effective service to Ghanaians.
The Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources and the Ghana Water Company Limited require the general public to be cooperative and collaborate in all ways possible for a smooth implementation of the directive.
Source: Kelvin Aboagye-Yeboah// Newswatchgh.com
