Ghana Water Company faces crisis affecting growth – MD
Mr Kwaku Godwin Dovlo, Acting Managing Director (MD) of the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL), has listed series of problems facing the company, describing them as “crisis” affecting positive growth.
“The GWCL is facing institutional, administrative, managerial, operational and financial crises…it is taking place at a very crucial period when widespread concerns have been raised about urban water supply operation…” said Mr Dovlo.
The MD said this during the opening ceremony of Water Ladies Delegates’ Conference, women association of the company.
He mentioned inadequate funding for maintenance and rehabilitation of facilities, huge water supply shortfalls, poor water flow and high operational cost as factors affecting positive growth of the company.
The GWCL MD said the company had been hit with low cost recovery rate, low billing and low revenue collection, high non revenue water, slow response to faults or leakages and illegal connections.
Mr Dovlo added that the load-shedding programme and its attendant facility shutdowns, had further thrown the GWCL into major crisis, saying, “We can say at this point that the company has reached cross-road.”
He said the company was also facing image crisis, with regards to reports on expired water treatment chemicals, perpetration of fraud and embezzlement by senior managers, system failures and decline in level of service.
However, he said, management was taking various proactive measures to address the various operational and financial problems confronting the company.
“Management is firmly committed to tackle illegal connections, reduce leakages and improve upon arrears and revenue collection,” he added.
The MD observed that Water Ladies had a great role to play in salvaging the company from further doldrums, by helping to mobilise their members to embark on periodic revenue mobilization exercise.
Women could play key role in times of crisis to monitor outside opinion and convey this intelligence to management for redress, he added.
Mr Dovlo said the merger between GWCL and Ghana Urban Water Limited had taken effect and operating as one entity with one MD, one Board and one top management team, adding that all the initial transitional arrangements as well as staff movements had been completed.
He said Water Ladies could at this point undertake outreach programmes to win the goodwill, support and understanding of workers and the general public for the merger.
He said management was taking various proactive measures to address the various operational and financial problems confronting the company.
“Management is firmly committed to tackle illegal connections, reduce leakages and improve upon arrears and revenue collection” he added.
Source: GNA