We lack capacity to provide 24-hour water supply to all consumers – GWL

Ghana Water Limited (GWL) has admitted that it currently lacks the operational capacity to provide a continuous 24-hour water supply to all consumers across the country.

The company says it is managing its available water resources and distribution capacity to ensure that communities receive some level of supply, despite the challenges affecting uninterrupted delivery.

GWL also identified differences in the elevation of communities as a major factor influencing water distribution, explaining that residents in higher-lying areas often face greater difficulties accessing water than those in lower-lying locations.

Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Tuesday, November 10, the Chief Manager for Corporate Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation at GWL, Michael Tawiah Klutse, explained that communities situated at higher elevations require additional infrastructure and interventions to generate sufficient pressure for water to reach consumers.

He said areas at lower elevations generally receive water more easily because of the natural flow and pressure within the distribution network.

According to him, supplying water to higher-lying communities requires measures to boost pressure and improve the movement of water through the network.

“If an area is a bit at elevations that are higher than our normal flow, we need to put in interventions to be able to build up pressure to those areas,” he said.

Mr Klutse said the company's current operational capacity makes it difficult to guarantee uninterrupted water supply to every household and community.

He stressed that GWL is working with the resources available to ensure that consumers receive some level of service rather than promising a continuous supply it cannot currently sustain.

“We don’t have the capacity to serve every single person 24/7 at the moment. What we have is what we are managing for everybody to get something,” he stated.

The comments highlight the operational and infrastructure challenges facing water distribution in Ghana, particularly in communities where elevation differences require additional pumping capacity and pressure-management systems.