"Expedite action on water privatisation"

Residents of five communities in Accra have urged the government to speed up action on private /public participation in the water sector.

The call was contained in a communique issued by residents of Tabora, Alhaji, Israel, South Ofankor and Lomnava at a forum on public sector participation in water at Sowutuom, near Accra, at the weekend.

The residents contended that the restructuring has become necessary because the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) seems totally incapable of financing the distribution network and also sharing what it produces equitably among residents in the urban communities.

The communique said, “We are convinced beyond all doubt that private participation in the water industry, especially within the urban setup, is the only means by which residents of urban communities, especially those on the fringes, are assured of getting constant flow of potable water at affordable prices.”

The acting Chairman of the Sports Complex Residents Association, Major Felix Barko (rtd), who read the communique after the forum, said residents in the area have been denied access to potable water for the past 25 years.

The residents, however, cautioned government to be circumspect in its dealings with the private sector so that it gets the best out of the deal.

The communique also called on the government to ignore the well-to-do in urban areas who, by their social status, are getting water at “controlled prices” and are thwarting the smooth implementation of the private sector partnership.

Addressing the forum earlier, Capt Victor Ansah (rtd) of the Water Sector Restructuring Secretariat (WSRS) called on Ghanaians not to politicise the current debate on the restructuring of the water sector.