The Accra East Region of the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) has disconnected two customers engaged in illegal water connection at Madina in the Greater Accra Region.
The two customers, who sell water to domestic users and tanker operators in the North East District of GWCL, connected 10 and 12 illegal pipelines respectively to their homes in addition to their main legal line.
Speaking to journalists in Accra after the exercise on Tuesday, the Regional Distribution Manager of the Accra East region, Mr Paul Akpanya, lamented that the illegal connection had resulted in water shortage in the area.
He explained that the illegal connection had resulted in pressure on water intended for other parts of the community.
Mr Akpanya said the exercise followed complaints by residents of Adjiringanor and Ogbojo in the Adentan Municipality over inadequate water supply.
He said “the offenders apart from the one legal pipeline connected 10 and 12 illegally pipelines to tanks, thereby affecting water supply to other customers.”
Mr Akpanya said the illegal activity, apart from causing water shortage to other customers, affected the revenue generation resulting in financial loss to the company.
“So we want to disconnect all the illegal pipelines and leave only the original ones, which have metres so that moving on they would pay for the actual volume of water they consume,” he stated.
He, however, warned businesses and households involved in illegal water connections to desist from same or risk being named, shamed and surcharged.
Meanwhile, the victims engaged in the act, who refused to mention their names, denied engaging in the illegal act and blamed the GWCL for shortage of water in the vicinity.
BY VIVIAN ARTHUR
