Officials of the Ghana Water Limited (GWL) have uncovered illegal water connections involving two institutions in Shai Hills and Asutsuare in the Shai Osudoku District of the Greater Accra Region.
The institutions are a sachet and bottled water manufacturing company, and a medical facility.
They are alleged to have been using illegally obtained treated water, which they had diverted from the main meter for their operations over an extended period.
This was uncovered on Tuesday [Nov 25, 2025] after a team from the GWL and security personnel stormed the facilities as part of an intensified nationwide crackdown on unauthorised water use under the newly launched National Revenue Enhancement Taskforce.
The Tema Region Communications Manager of GWL, Sampson Ampah told journalists that the sachet and bottled water manufacturing company had been using illegally treated water diverted from GWL lines for its operations over an extended period.
He explained that the taskforce, acting on intelligence and weeks of surveillance, discovered a complex system used to divert treated water directly into the factory’s production tanks without passing through a meter.
“This morning, upon arriving here, we discovered that the company has been using water illegally for a long period. Our checks revealed that they had not only bypassed the meter but had actually removed it entirely and connected water directly into their storage tanks.” he said.
Mr Ampah said the company used eight large storage tanks, each with a capacity of more than 2,000 litres, to hold water for the production of their sachet and bottled water.
He said the illegal setup meant that all water used in these tanks were consumed without payment.
“This is treated water, and every drop we produce must be accounted for. Yet this company has been using large quantities without paying for any of it. The volumes involved are extremely significant, and the financial losses are substantial,” he said.
He added that illegal connections of that nature denied GWL vital revenue needed to maintain infrastructure, expand service, and ensure consistent water delivery to households and businesses.
Medical facility
On the part of the medical facility, Mr Ampah said the taskforce detected an illegal connection that had reportedly been in place for close to five years, adding that Investigators found that the facility had tapped directly into a 21-inch main line belonging to GWL and diverted water into their underground storage reservoir.
“At the hospital, they had connected directly to our main transmission line and diverted the water underground for their operations. This illegal connection has been active for about five years,” he said.
He explained that some illegal connections were deliberately engineered to be extremely complex, making them difficult to detect.
He said in both cases, the task force conducted multiple visits and even laid an ambush before confirming the illegalities.
“The team came here two or three times before fully establishing what was happening. Some of these setups are sophisticated, and that is why public collaboration is essential,” he said.
Mr. Ampah appealed to the public to provide information whenever they suspect illegal water use, bypassing, meter tampering, or unauthorized connections.
He assured potential informants that their identities would not be disclosed, adding that GWL offers a financial reward for credible information leading to the detection of illegal connections.
Source: Graphic.com.gh
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