GWL engages Agbogbloshie community on water services in Accra
The Accra East Region of the Ghana Water Company (GWL) has engaged residents of Agbogbloshie in the Accra Central District as part of efforts to strengthen direct interactions with customers, address concerns about water supply services and promote responsible use of potable water.
The event, held on last Friday at Agbogbloshie in Accra, provided a platform for residents to interact directly with officials of GWL, raise concerns about water services and receive clarification on issues affecting their access to potable water.
It was attended by the Regional Public Relations Manager of the Accra East Region, Nana Yaw Barima Barnie; Winifred Esinam Agbolosoo, the Accra Central District Manager; Mr Ebenezer Kokoroko, and other key staff of Accra Central District.
Addressing the residents, Nana Barnie underscored the importance of water to human life and urged residents to recognise water as a valuable service by paying for the water they consume.
He encouraged residents to settle their water bills promptly and cautioned against illegal connections, stressing that persons found engaged in such practices could face sanctions in accordance with the law.
Nana Barnie explained that the company was embarking on an exercise to get rid of what is known as ‘spaghetti ‘ lines where multiple pipelines are seen in gutters and other unhygienic places.
He assured consumers who have been disconnected of reconnection once they showed proof of full payment of their bills.
The community members during an open forum highlighted some of the challenges they encountered with their water supply services.
Some residents raised concerns about the fact they were legally connected by the GWL while others did not understand why the company had waited for bills to accumulate so high before they were presented to them.
The discussion further drew attention to challenges associated with commercial water facilities, popularly known as showers.
They contended that some of these facilities were owned by people who do not live in the community and were subsequently handed over to others to manage.
As a result, managers may not always be aware of accumulated bills since the billing information is sent directly to the owners rather than those who are managing those facilities.
The GWL officials assured the community that measures would be taken to improve communication with both owners and managers of such facilities.
Billing information would, therefore, be communicated through the registered contact numbers of the relevant people to help ensure that bills are received and settled on time.
The engagement also provided an opportunity to educate residents on GWL’s transition to electronic payment and billing systems.
While some residents expressed concern that metering could increase their bills, the GWL officials explained that meters would provide a more accurate basis for determining consumption and help ensure accountability between the company and its customers.
BY TIMES REPORTER
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