Water Shortage Hits K�dua

Some residents of Koforidua and its environs continue to experience an acute water shortage for the past five days although the the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) claims it has solved the problem. Whilst some of communities in the New Juaben municipality have started getting water, others continue to experience shortage, compelling them to resort to water from boreholes. The frequent power outage in the municipality has affected the treatment plant , which has resulted in most communities not getting water. Madam Agnes Antwi, a teacher and a resident of the Adweso Estate, said the shortage had compelled her to rely on sachet water for household chores which was very expensive. �We have to use pure water to cook and bath and you can imagine the number of sachet for that which is very expensive,� she said. During a visit to the affected areas, a lot of children were seen with buckets fetching water from boreholes. Meanwhile some residents who have started receiving pipe-borne water, are complaining of skin itches Maxwell Teiku, a resident of Old Estate, told the Times that the community had experienced water shortage for the past three days.. �When we finally started receiving water, it is affecting our skin compelling us to use chemicals such as dettol to stop the itching,� he said. He described the situation as �unbearable,� and, therefore, called on the GWCL to ensure the proper treatment of the water. Martin Kofi Asante, Eastern Regional Production Manager of the GWCL, when contacted about the situation, explained that supply was normal until a power outage which caused a damage to the treatment plant. �After the outage, we realized that three of the pumps have developed faults, crippling our ability to pump and supply water. Almost the whole system cannot start due to the damage� he said. �While we try to mobilise funds to buy the parts to solve the problem, some communities in the municipality will continue to face shortages because the system is such, that we need time to pump adequate water for normal supply to be restored,� he said. He advised to residents experiencing itchy skin as a result of water supplied by the company to report to the municipal office for redress.