Coalition on Water threatens to organise demonstration

The Coalition for Private Sector Participation in Urban Water Supply (CPSPUWS) on Wednesday threatened to organise the communities on the fringes of Accra Metropolis to stage a massive demonstration in support of their cause.

The Coalition made particular mention of Integrated Social Development Centre (ISODEC), the Coalition Against Privatisation of Water (CAP of Water) and Mr Adu Amankwah, General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) as organisations and people, who were bent on confusing the people about the benefit of private participation in water supply.

Mr Francis Botwey, Co-ordinator of CPSPUWS, said this at a press briefing in Accra to express the Coalition's view on recent developments in the water sector with respect to the government's intention to invite private sector participation to improve water supply.

He said it was ironic that CAP of Water which trumpeted the report of a so-called fact finding team from overseas had turned around to recruit foreign anti-globalisation activists to tell Ghanaians how they should manage the same system.

Mr Botwey said it was a matter of regret that Mr Amankwah should be part of this scheme while workers struggle to buy water at higher prices than those at the top of the TUC.

The Coalition accused the TUC Secretary General of managing to lure the various District Councils of Labour to sign prepared communiqu?s against the PSP even though workers of the Public Utilities Workers Union working with the GWCL were supportive of the water reform process.

He made it clear that the private sector participation was meant for the urban communities of Adenta, Ashale Botwe, Sowutuom, Ofankor, Accra New Town, Teshie, Kasoa, Madina, East Legon and Nii Boye Town where the people do not have access to water and buy buckets of water at exorbitant prices.

Mr Botwey said the rural sectors were currently being taken care of with the Community Water and Sanitation Projects under which communities manage their own water systems.

He said the government needed about 500 million dollars to restructure the water sector and that was why private participation was being sought to assist in re-capitalising the sector to make water more accessible and affordable.