WATER CRISIS TO HIT ENTIRE NATION …AS WORKERS OF GWCL PLOT FINAL ONSLAUGHT

By Solomon Davids

Ghana stands at the verge of a major water crisis, as workers of Ghana Water Company Ltd (GWCL) take to another level their demand for better working conditions and the immediate termination of the management contract between the government of Ghana and Aqua Vitens Rand Ltd (AVRL).

A close source at GWCL has hinted The Daily Democrat that the workers are plotting a nationwide disruption of water supply for days to press home their demands, following a deliberate move by AVRL to ignore them.

The source narrated that an arranged meeting between the workers and AVRL on Friday, 29th May 2009 to discuss a petition made by the former to the latter could not materialize because AVRL decided to postpone it without any clear reason.

The Daily Democrat further learnt that, though all the management members of AVRL, including their Managing Director, Mr. Barber, were in town, they failed to meet the workers; they therefore postponed it to June 26, 2009, something the workers described as unnecessary delay tactics being employed by AVRL to buy some time. The workers, who believe the impasse between them and management can only be solved through radical means as a result of their superiors’ insensitivity, have finally decided to take the entire nation by surprise by disrupting water supply nationwide. Already, they have started creating an artificial shortage in the system, denying some areas of water supply.

If nothing is done in the immediate to resolve the impasse, The Daily Democrat can predict a serious water supply crisis in the country, since the current crisis is just a tip of the iceberg.

According to the workers, Management of AVRL and GWCL are giving false information to the public about the unveiling crisis that is increasing the number of people carrying yellow gallons, popularly known as “Kufuor gallons” in search of water. At the moment, many areas in Accra are experiencing a severe water shortage.

Workers of GWCL have for sometime now been engaged in battle with AVRL, managers of water supply in the country, over working conditions and dissatisfaction on the part of workers over AVRL’s handling of company mandated to supply potable water to the nation. Stay tuned.