The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) is constructing a 133-million-euro water treatment plant to meet the demands of the growing population in the Sunyani Municipality and parts of the Bono Region.
On completion, the facility situated at the Abesim headworks of the GWCL is expected to pump about 12.1 million gallons of water every day.
Dr Samuel Ason, the Bono Regional Chief Engineer of the GWCL disclosed this when he conducted Madam Justina Owusu-Banahene, the Bono Regional Minister around the project site at Abesim, near Sunyani.
Components of the project, which is funded by the government and expected to be completed by 2025 include the construction of a 57,500 metric cube intake facility, a 55,000 metric cube conventional water treatment plant, ground-level reservoirs and elevated tanks with a total capacity of about 16,500 metric-cube.
Other components include the construction of two booster stations, laying of 93 kilometres of transmission pipelines, provisions of 10,000 domestic meters, standpipes, a dedicated power line and construction of laboratory and chemical storage buildings.
Dr Ason explained the company had already completed feasibility studies on the project, waiting for the actual earthwork to commence by the end of July this year.
He indicated the Company was unable to meet the water supply needs of the Municipality because of rapid population growth, indicating that the headworks were originally designed to pump only 1.5 million gallons of water daily.
Dr Ason said that currently there was a shortfall in water supply in the Municipality because the company had to pump six million gallons of water every day before it could serve and meet the demands of the Municipality.
In the interim, he said the Company was constructing boreholes to address the deficit, saying it had already constructed 10 boreholes in some water distressed communities.
Dr Ason expressed concern about illegal connections, meter thefts and customer default in payment of water bills which were affecting their operations.
“Our meters contain brass, and some unscrupulous people steal and extract the brass to sell”, he said and appealed to the public to remain watchful and help protect the meters for consistent water supply.
On her part, Mad Owusu-Banahene commended the Management and staff of the Company, indicating that despite the pressing challenges, the Company was doing well in water supply.
“Water is life and it marries all situations”, she said and entreated the Company to be proactive enough in addressing the water challenges in the region by constructing more boreholes too.
Mad Owusu-Banahene called on the company to consider going into rainwater harvesting, treatment and storage and asked the Company to engage the Police in protecting the meters.
