Kumasi, Sept. 20, GNA - Potable water in the Ashanti Region will improve from its current capacity of 23 million gallons a day to 27 millions when the on-going expansion works on the Barekese and Owabi head works project is completed in October next year.

Mr Fred Lokko who gave the hint during an inspection tour by the members of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) on some utility service installations in Kumasi on Tuesday, said the project was four months ahead of schedule.

He said the government awarded the project last year at a cost of 37.9 million Euros and that the project involved the construction of a new treatment plant at Barekese, rehabilitation of the existing treatment plants at Owabi and Barekese and the construction of a new booster station with storage facilities tank at Suame in the Kumasi Metropolis and Achiase in the Atwima-Nwabiagya district.

Mr Lokko said the other part of the project involved the extension of about 80 kilometres of distribution pipelines, installation of about 23,000 domestic metres on the existing service connections, and institutional capacity building.

The Regional Engineer told the Commissioners led by its Chairman, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng that the completion of the project would enhance business opportunities such as food processing, local industries, tourism and other productive ventures. Professor Frimpong-Boateng commended the Contractor and the Ghana Water Company for working hard under trying conditions especially with the obsolete equipment to improve water supply to consumers. At the Volta River Authority Power Station in Kumasi, Reverend Samuel Kwofie indicated that the station meets about 97 per cent of demand, saying that with the new installations currently going on, power outages would come to an end. Professor Frimpong-Boateng said the implementation of the power sector reform by the government was highly recommendable and asked consumers of utilities at both commercial and private levels to pay their bills promptly.