Kumbungu (N/R), May 19, GNA - The management of the Northern Region Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) has taken measures to improve upon its revenue collection. Mr. Samuel Mensah, the Regional Chief Manager of the company announced this at the inauguration of the Kumbungu Water and Sanitation Committees (WASTANs) and the signing of a memorandum of understanding of a Water Facility Management Plan in Kumbungu on Saturday, as part of the measures. He said the Dalun Water System, the main source of water supply in the region, produces 20,000 cubic metres, about 100,000 drums of water everyday, out of which only 8,000 cubic metres or 40,000 drums of water got to the Tamale Municipality. He said out of the 20,000 cubic metres of water produced daily, 12,000 cubic metres, that is 60,000 drums, got lost in the system adding: "It is for this reason that the WATSANs and the Water Facility Management Plan had been put in place to check the wastage".

The Regional Chief Manager said the Tolon/Kumbungu District Assembly, the GWCL, Biwater, contractors for the Tamale water expansion project, the traditional authority and Gariba Development Associates, the consultants, had signed a memorandum of understanding to this effect. The Board of the Water Facility Management Plan would oversee the activities of the WATSANs while the Committees would be responsible for the distribution of bills, collection of revenue, making payments to the GWCL and collecting and filing payment receipts. Mr. Mensah noted that the Tolon/Kumbungu corridor had poor management in water delivery, adding that the area got water through standpipes, which were not managed efficiently and had therefore resulted in wastage, denying majority of the population of safe drinking water.

Mr. Mensah said because of the absence of an efficient water management system in the rural areas the people used water without paying for it. "It is only in the Tamale Metropolis that the GWCL collects substantial revenue," he said. The Regional Chief Manager said with the inauguration of the WATSAN Committees the people would now be made to pay their water bills promptly and gave the assurance that the GWCL would be guided by the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission not to impose any high tariffs on the people. Mr. Wahab Suhiyini Wumbei, the District Chief Executive noted that the payment for water in the Kumbungu catchment area was not the best, saying that, at some point in time, the Assembly had to intervene to pay the debts of some consumers. He said: "Some consumers have accumulated water debts to the tune of GHc 1,500.00 and I urged them to make efforts to settle their debts". The DCE appealed to Biwater to partner the District Assembly to connect pipelines to Gbullung, Nyankpala and the communities along the Tamale-Tolon road to provide the people with potable water to help reduce the incidence of guinea worm disease in the district.

The Kumbun-Naa Alhaji Abu Iddi, Paramount Chief of Kumbungu, expressed the hope that with the inauguration of the WATSAN Committees the payment of water bills in the communities would improve. He said the Kumbungu Township had been divided into communities to facility the work of the WATSANS and also assist them in reporting faults on the water lines promptly to avoid water leakages and wastage.