Acute water shortage hits new Kejetia Market

Acute water shortage has hit the new Kejetia Market in the Kumasi Metropolis of the Ashanti Region disrupting trading activities.

The situation, according to the traders occurred after the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL), took the facility off their pipelines over non-payment of bills.

Traders in over eight thousand shops, together with their customers have had no access to washrooms due to the lack of potable water at the market causing many inconveniences.

Some of the traders who are finding it difficult to do cleaning, washing and other chores that require water said they have been without water for four days after their pipelines were disconnected by GWCL on Monday, February 20, 2023.

The General Secretary for Combined Kejetia Traders Association, Mr. Reuben Ameh, in an interview with OTEC News Jacob Agyenim Boateng on Thursday, February 23, 2023, confirmed the story.

He disclosed that the facility as of January 2023 had an accumulated bill of GH¢ 991,087,61.

"We understand there are some outstanding bills that need to be settled with the Ghana Water Company Limited but what baffles traders is the huge arrears owed the company."

"Most of the traders have paid their charges to the management of the market and so we do not expect to have such huge debts".

"We as traders will blame the facility's management for failing to, first of all, collect the bills, and again failing to pay the GWCL the ones they have collected already."

Mr. Reuben Ameh however called on traders to remain calm as they team up with the managers of the market to restore water to the facility.