Takoradi, March 22, -GNA-The Inchaban Dam, the main source of water supply to residents within the Shama Ahanta East Metropolis is producing under capacity.

The dam, which was constructed in 1928, was meant to produce 400 million gallons of water a day but presently, it produces only 1.7 million gallons daily.

Mr. Daniel Adjetey Adjei, Western Regional Chief Manager of Aqua Vitens Rand Limited, management consultants of the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) was speaking at a press briefing to mark this year's World Water Day under the theme "Coping with Water Scarcity - Challenge of the 21st Century" at Takoradi.

He said though the dam was operating under capacity, it could meet the water requirements of the entire metropolis if it was rehabilitated and its walls fortified.

Mr. Adjei said to augment the water needs of the people within the metropolis, a new dam must be created at the Daboase water headworks to enable the company to collect more fresh water for treatment and distribution.

He said residents within the metropolis have had to consume "salty pipe borne water" during the dry season because seawater usually entered the collection point at Daboase.

Mr. Adjei said this could be reversed if the dam is constructed and advised residents to store enough water to use during the dry season. He said the management of the company had contracted a team of specialists to study all dams and water bodies in the country and to see if they could be processed for domestic and commercial uses. Mr. Adjei appealed to residents within SAEMA to sink wells to serve as alternative sources in addition to their pipe-borne water and also manage its fresh water uses to enable others to benefit from it.