Cape Coast: The Ghana Water Limited (GWL) in the Central Region has announced a steady improvement in the production and supply of treated water, promising a mitigation of the water scarcity in many parts of the region. For several months, many towns and communities in the region have been enduring acute water shortages, forcing residents, including students, to trek long distances to search for water, with some resorting to unclean sources.

According to Ghana News Agency, the situation became more profound with the outbreak of cholera, which has so far killed 19 people with 3,028 suspected cases and 260 confirmed cases in the region. Mr. John Eric Kwofie, the Regional Manager of GWL, assured in an interview that the situation was improving, urging residents to expect water in their homes soon.

Mr. Kwofie explained that the dams in Essiakyer, Baifikrom, Breman Asikuma, and other locations virtually dried up for many months due to severe drought. The challenge was compounded by activities like illegal mining, farming, and road and building constructions, which choked the rivers with heavy silt, increased their turbidity, and polluted them with agrochemicals. As a result, they were producing far below the expected capacity, and at an exorbitant cost due to the state of the raw water.

Indeed, as recent as January and February this year, some pictures taken at the various dams showed extremely low water levels in a very dirty and polluted state. The Regional Manager, however, indicated that they were now receiving enough inflows into their reservoirs and were producing more water, albeit in limited quantities, for the affected communities.

'Now we are receiving more rains from the Eastern Region, and so as and when it rains in the Eastern Region, we get enough inflows into the affected systems, and so we are now receiving more raw water. I must admit that we are not doing full production at these stations, and it will take some time for the situation to normalize across all the affected areas,' he said.

'We are hoping that within the next two weeks, if we get enough inflows and reliable power supply, we should be fine because the rains have started, and I'm sure within the next two to three weeks, the situation should change,' he added.

Mr. Kwofie said water was still being rationed even though the situation had slightly improved, cautioning residents to use water prudently. He advised customers to stop using the little treated water for watering their lawns or washing vehicles, as it would affect supply within the affected areas, adding that if well managed, the community would be able to survive the situation until the GWL reaches full recovery.