GWCL to defy PURC in Kpong Plant shutdown

The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) has denied receiving any directives from the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) to suspend the shutdown of the Kpong Water Treatment Plant.

Last Thursday, February 20, PURC directed the Water Company to halt the shutdown, originally scheduled for Monday, February 24 until the water crisis in the capital city, Accra, was stabilized.

The Commission by a statement asked GWCL to furnish it with progress of work on the Weija Treatment Plant.

“GWCL shall furnish the Commission with its best estimation of time for normalization of water supply to consumers following the completion of repair works on the Weija-Accra and Tema-Accra Transmission Pipelines and the commencement of pumping water through the pipelines to be used by consumers,” Thursday’s statement issued by Nana Yaa Jantuah, Director of Public Relations and External Affairs of the Commission, said.

But speaking on TV3 on Monday, Michael Agyeman, Chief Public Relations Manager at GWCL, said his outfit is yet to receive the statement from PURC.

“We are going ahead to shut down the Kpong Treatment Plant on Thursday,” he stated.

GWCL issued a statement on Monday, confirming the shutdown on Thursday instead of the originally scheduled date of Monday, February 25, 2014.

According to Mr Agyeman, the reschedule was done “so we can monitor the Weija situation and see whether everything has stabilized and whether Weija is operating at full capacity.”

He added: “When that is done, that is all but as I speak we haven’t gotten any further instructions to stop.”

He said the Company is undertaking major repair works which involves changing pipelines.

“The pumps are being changed. It is going to really add on to the water to give us another 3.3 million gallons of water.”

Meanwhile, PURC’s three-day ultimatum to GWCL expires on Tuesday.

It has indicated that it has the powers to arrest the Managing Director of GWCL in case the water company fails to respond to PURC's statement.