The Managing Director of Ghana Water Limited (GWL), Adam Mutawakilu, has announced plans to replace ageing water pumps and pipelines across the country to improve water supply and reduce water losses.
He said the Kpong Water Treatment Plant in the Eastern Region would benefit from the pump replacement programme, while old pipelines in Abetifi and surrounding communities would also be replaced.
Appearing before the Public Accounts Committee on Tuesday, October 13, Mr Mutawakilu said GWL had suspended new pipeline extensions to prioritise the replacement of existing infrastructure amid persistent water supply challenges.
He explained that extending the network without addressing the inadequacies of existing pipelines could worsen complaints from consumers who were already struggling to access reliable water.
According to him, the company decided in August to halt new extensions and directed all regional and district offices to submit lists of ageing pipelines requiring replacement by October.
He said the submissions would be reviewed before replacement projects were allocated to the various regions for consideration and approval by the company’s board.
Mr Mutawakilu said the decision followed an assessment by his team, which indicated that expanding the network without improving existing infrastructure could increase the number of consumers experiencing unreliable water supply.
“I think since April, my team and I realised that it’s not always extension. Because if you have 100 people and 30 people are complaining, ‘We are not getting water,’ and you are extending the number to 150, are you not just compounding the complaints?” he asked.
He added that the company would focus on replacing old pipes once the regional submissions had been reviewed and the necessary approvals secured.
The initiative is expected to improve the reliability of water distribution and address infrastructure-related challenges affecting consumers in parts of the country.
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