Accra, Feb. 9, GNA - Engineers of Ghana Water Company (GWCL) on Tuesday repaired three water pumps at the Weija Headworks to relieve residents of Accra West the burden of an acute water shortage being experienced over the past several days.

This means, the company could now pump some 55 million gallons of water from the new Weija station in addition to the current 11 million gallons being pumped from the old station, officials of the Ghana Water Company (GWCL) said.

The authorities managing the water sector are expecting the arrival of engineers from South Africa to fix the problem. Mr. Michael Agyemang, Public Relations Director of GWCL, told GNA that the restoration of the pumps at the new Weija station would improve water delivery in the city.

Until this morning, when one of the pumps was fixed, only about 11 million gallons of water were available for Accra West daily, but with the repairs on the other two an additional 55 million gallons of water a day would be made available making it 66 million gallons. This has caused difficulties to tens of thousands of people who have been running around the city with gallons and all sorts of containers looking for water.

The four electric pumps that pump water from the Densu River into the treatment plant at Weija stopped working when the air valve at the station blew up and allowed water to spill over into the electric panels that supply power to the pumps.

According to Mr. Agyemang, the engineers at the station tried to restart the pumps but they could not.

The damage has led to a grave water shortage problem in the city and the engineers at GWCL and Aqua Vitens Rand Limited (AVRL) have said the manufacturers have been contacted to come and assess the situation. Meanwhile engineers from South African-based Rockwell Limited, the company which sold the water pumps and power panels to GWCL, are expected in the country on Thursday.

Mr. Stanley Martey, Communications Manager of AVRL, told the GNA that the pumps and panels were installed eight years ago and needed overhauling, adding that the South African engineers would be expected to do just that. 9 Feb. 10