A new report on access to clean drinking water and sustainable water management in Ghana has found that the proportion of non-revenue water in the country is more than twice the international level of 20 percent and the benchmark of 33 percent for the low-income country peer group.
Non-revenue water, according to the German Industry and Commerce in Ghana (AHK Ghana), which conducted the survey with support from the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear, is water that is lost before reaching the consumer.
The 52-page report titled: “Access To Clean Drinking Water & Sustainable Water Management In Ghana” and released recently in Accra, depicted the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) as inefficient as far as managing the distribution of water and controlling rising levels of non-revenue water was concerned.
It analysed trends in water production, sale and non-revenue water in the country from 2008 to 2012.
It observed that “the average bill collection ration for the period is also lower than the benchmark of 96 percent and 99.2 percent for low and middle-income country peer group.” There are two explanations for the high level revenue loss, according to the report: the first is the ageing and poorly maintained distribution infrastructure, and the second is a high level of theft from the distribution network, sometimes for the purposes of secondary retailing to sachet water producers.
“Unstable electricity, encroachment, illegal small-scale mining activities (galamsey), delays in payment of compensation, rationing and its effects on equipment and mounting customer indebtedness are all factors that affect the efficiency of GWCL’s operations, resulting in the suboptimal delivery of urban water services,” the report said.
It also said that about 38 percent of the population in rural communities and small towns are yet to be served with potable water supplies.
It’s estimated that between 12 percent and 20 percent of water facilities in rural communities and small towns are either non-functional or functioning below the expected standards at any given time.
Workshop Due to the above-mentioned challenges facing Ghana’s water delivery sector, AHK Ghana, with support from the German Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservative and Nuclear Safety, will organize a workshop on Tuesday, 13th November 2018.
By Melvin Tarlue