Flagstaff House cautioned on Ghana Water mafia

The Herald’s insiders at the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL), are raising alarm on a possible plot to sabotage the free flow of the 20 million gallons of potable water, being pumped to Adenta, Madina, East Legon, and other parts of the city in furtherance of their private water delivery business.

According to the insiders, GWCL is riddled with elements, who own Water Tankers and trucks loaded with huge poly tanks, and would rather want a continuation of the almost 20-year water drought to enable their businesses blossom, adding that “the sale of water is a lucrative business”.

They particularly asked President John Mahama to keep his eyes, ears and nose at Ghana Water, to ensure that his US$273 million initiative of given water to the people, is not sabotaged by the selfish and criminal-minded state officials, who team up with private persons to deny the citizenry their due.

They argued that no private individual, knows where Ghana Water, has its major pipelines except workers of the state-own water company, hence they are able to carry out illegal water connections for these private individuals to divert and steal water meant for homes.

The caution came a day after President Mahama, swiftly dispatched a team of journalists making up the Presidential Press Corps and officials of Ghana Water, led by the Deputy Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing, Jonny Osei Kofi, to tour some areas in Adenta to ascertain media reports of non-availability of water to most homes, despite the inauguration of the Kpong Water Expansion Project.

They revealed that Ghana Water, currently under the management of Mr. Fred Lokko, has ordered an emergency procurement of pipes from Duraplast to urgently fix the leakages, chocked pipes and replace rusty or damages lines.

Communities to witness this emergency repairs include; Adenta, Madina, Madina Zongo, Oyarifa, Haatso, Abokobi, Ashaley Botwe, East Legon, Okponglo and other areas, however, the insiders warned that without any effective monitoring, the commodity will not get to various homes freely, except through water tankers and poly tanks mounted on trucks due to the activities of the criminal gangs.

Already, Police in Legon, have arrested eight persons, who prevented residents of Adgjiringanor and surrounding areas from enjoying water from GWCL.

Residents, have had to rely on the services of the suspects for water as their pipelines have been dry for months.

The Legon District Police Commander, DSP Emmanuel Basintale, informed Joy News that the exercise was carried out after a request for assistance by the GWCL.

The exercise, according to him, spanned two days and led to the arrest of the eight suspects and seizure of some trucks involved in the illegal tapping of GWCL lines, without the knowledge of the company.

He further revealed that some of the suspects, were found to have constructed underground tanks for storing their ill-gotten water and that they had been selling the water to the unsuspecting residents at a higher fee.

DSP Basintale, assured the public that the suspects, despite already being granted bail, would certainly face the full rigors of the law.
Government, has asked that residents of Adenta and its environs, who are still not receiving water get plumbers to fix leakages on pipelines to their homes which have been rendered weak as a result of years of non-utilization.

On December 23, this year, President Mahama turned on the valves at the Kpong Headworks to resume supply of 20 million gallons of water to residents of Adenta and surrounding areas, after more than a decade. But days after the valves were turned on, some residents still complain they do not have access to water, prompting a government fact-finding team to visit the area.

There were areas, where water was gushing out into gutters through broken pipes. Some areas were flooded overnight as a result of the damaged pipelines, meaning the US$273 million project financed by the China Export Import Bank and the Government of Ghana (GoG), has not completely served its purpose as envisaged by President Mahama.

But the Deputy Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing Jonny Osei Kofi, who led the team, insisted that the water flowing in the area is consistent, but suggested that faults had developed in the pipes laid in residences because, “they have not seen water in decades”.

The Deputy Minister, in addressing the problem suggested that domestic pipelines which have been damaged be repaired by local plumbers at the discretion of residents, while affirming Government’s commitment to making the necessary repairs on faulty mainlines.

-The Herald