Cape Coast (Central Region), 25 Feb. '99 -

A call has gone to the Ghana Water and Sewerage Corporation (GWSC) to improve upon the quality of water supplied to consumers in the Central region. The call was made at a public forum by consumers who were unhappy about the poor quality of water currently being supplied by the GWSC in the region. They said the water has an odour; it is slightly coloured and contains sediments which makes it unhealthy for consumption. The forum was organised by the GWSC to educate the public on the need for an increase in the water tariff by 76 per cent. The public was of the view that even if an increase in tariff was necessary, there was the need for the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) to reduce the 76 per cent increase being proposed by the GWSC to make it affordable for consumers, especially salaried workers. Customers also called on the corporation to evolve a system whereby consumers will be able to know how much they have consumed over a period. They asked the corporation to install meters on their premises "to ensure transparency in the billing system". The Regional Director of the GWSC, Mr J.J.K. Azumah, attributed the poor quality of the water to high iron content in the Kakum river and the rusty nature of the pipelines. Mr Azumah said the sediments found in the water could be attributed to the fact that most water receptacles in individual houses were not cleaned and had gathered a lot of dirt. Earlier, the Managing Director of the GWSC, Mr Charles Adjei, explained that his outfit needed a total of 1.2 billion dollars for major rehabilitation and expansion works to enable it to achieve its target of 100 per cent urban water supply by the year 2015. Of this amount, 182 million dollars will be needed to enhance water supply in the Central region, he said, adding that the corporation has already initiated measures to improve water supply to many parts of the region. These include the construction of two booster stations at Ankaful and Amosima and the rehabilitation of the Kwanyako Waterworks. Mr Adjei pointed out that in view of the enormity of the GWSC's projects, the increase in tariff proposed for the PURC's consideration would enable the corporation to meet its operational and non-operational costs. The deputy Central regional minister, Mr H.Q. Jehu-Appiah, urged the public not to "politicise" the issue of the proposed water tariff increase. He stressed that an increase in the tariff was necessary to ensure the provision of potable water supply to all parts of the country. Mr Jehu-Appiah, urged the public to help check water wastage by reporting promptly all burst pipe-lines as well as helping to check practices that hinder effective water supply.