Two youth groups in the Krobo area, Kloma Gbi and Kloma Hengme have jointly petitioned the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC), urging it to compel Ghana Water Limited to restore water supply to affected communities to avert what they described as a ‘looming public outburst that portends avoidable chaos’.
According to the groups, the disruption in water supply, caused by the construction works on the Somanya-Odumase-Kpong road, has entered its sixth month, causing significant inconvenience to residents of communities such as Sawer in the Yilo Krobo Municipality and Atua South, Kodjonya and Odumase South, in the Lower Manya Krobo Municipality.
The petition, dated Tuesday 14th January 2025, and signed by two representatives from each group, urged the regulator to investigate the root cause of the delays on the part of GWL in repairing the pipelines and to hold responsible parties accountable, as mandated under Section 13 of the PURC Act, 1997 (Act 538), which empowers the Commission to investigate consumer complaints.
The petition further called on the Commission to engage Ghana Water Limited, General Constructions Ltd (the company working on the road in question), and other relevant stakeholders to expedite the repair of the damaged pipelines. The groups referenced Section 12 of the Act, which obliges utility providers to ensure reliable, adequate, and efficient services.
Additionally, the groups urged the PURC to establish a clear timeline for restoring water supply to the affected areas and communicate this to the public, ensuring compliance under Sections 3 and 13 of the PURC Act, which mandates the monitoring and enforcement of public utilities obligations.
The groups also requested that the Commission ensure that no such damage to underground pipelines and its resultant disruption of water supply to the communities are left unattended for this long period as the works on the stretch of road progress.
Speaking on behalf of Kloma Gbi, Mr. Henking A. Adjase-Kodjo, Director of Communications, noted that the lack of access to water for such a prolonged period was unacceptable. This has left the citizenry increasingly agitated, he added.
Dr. Eric Tamatey Lawer, General Secretary of Kloma Hengme, on his part, urged the Commission to explore possible compensation for affected residents, indicating that the prolonged disruption in water supply which caused a great deal of inconvenience to the consumers represents a failure to meet acceptable service standards contrary to Sections 12 and 13 of the PURC Act.
Stakeholders who served copies of the petition include the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources, the Konors of Manya and Yilo Krobo, Members of Parliament for both Yilo and Lower Manya Krobo Constituencies, Ghana Police Service and Coordinating Directors of the Yilo and Lower Manya Krobo Municipalities.
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