The Public Utility Regulatory Commission (PURC) has advised the general public of their civil responsibility to report people and institutions that steal from the Ghana Water Limiter (GWL).
It said reporting people stealing water produced by the GWL or making illegal connections of water should not be misconstrued as being a bad person but rather a person fulfilling his or her civic obligation to the state.
Upper West Regional Manager of the PURC, Mr. Abdul-Wadud Ali, said the consequences of stealing government water poses is a loss and there will be paid back by citizens themselves.
He said the latest Ghana Utility Performance Index by the PURC indicated that out of the 16 offices of GWL in the country, the Upper West Region had the best quality water.
He however regretted that many people in the region were not yet connected to the services of GWL, which he said, also prompted awareness creation to encourage people to connect to the GWL system to prevent illegal connections.
Mr. Ali observed that many people in the region were not connected to the GWL services due to financial challenges but added that the GWL was working to subsidies the cost of new water service connections under the pro-poor policy to enable many people patronise their services.
The PURC Regional Boss also encouraged the customers of GWL to promptly pay their water bills to enable the company to function effectively saying, “Their (the GWL) financial viability is very important to the commission.”
Mr. Kwasi Abebrese, the Upper West Regional Chief Manager of GWL, warned the public against illegal water connections and said anyone apprehended in that act would be dealt with according to the laws.
He explained that illegal water connection did not only affect the cost of water delivery, but also the quality of the water people consume hence the need for all hands to be on deck to prevent it.
