Ghana Water Company Limited can’t account for 40% of water produced

The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) has taken steps to reduce water unaccounted for, otherwise known as non-revenue water – which currently stands at 40 percent of its production – with the introduction of new technology by the city of Aarhus, Denmark.

Non-revenue water is when water produced into the system is lost before it reaches the customer, and hence cannot be accounted for. This, according to GWCL, could be due to either a burst pipeline, leakage, or even theft and non-payment.

Although the 40 percent loss is an improvement by the water company, as hitherto 55 percent of the water produced was unaccounted for, GWCL says it wants to further reduce the losses and maximise revenue generation; hence signing the MoU with Aarhus City, which has a track-record of using modern technology to effectively cut its non-revenue water to below 10 percent.

“They have the technology and have been able to reduce their non-revenue water to less than 10 percent, so let’s learn from them so we can reduce ours. Sometimes the leakages enter places that take a long time to identify, so if there’s a technology that can help identity leakages remotely, why not? That will help us put more water into the system.

“People consume the water without paying, people steal the water, and there are pipeline bursts as well. Both parties are very committed, so we are hopeful of seeing success at the end of it all.

“Currently, our coverage is at 73 percent, which means that we are unable to supply water to the entire population; and the vision we have as a company is to have 100 percent access by 2030 in line with the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly goal 6; thus ensuring access to water and sanitation for all.

“As a company, we have the vision to be a world-class utility and we have been working assiduously at that. Anything we have to do that enables us to improve on our services to Ghana, we will do it,” Head of PR/Communications at GWCL, Stanley Martey, said at the MoU signing.

The collaboration will support Ghana’s improvement on access to potable water, waste-water management, and revenue generation in the urban water sector.

The MoU signed by the Managing Director of Aarhus Municipality, Henrik Seiding, and the Managing Director of Ghana Water Company Limited, Clifford A. Braimah, is a continuation of the second phase of the Strategic Sector Cooperation between the two – including the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) from 2023-2025, after the first phase that ran from 2019 to 2022.

MD of GWCL, Clifford A. Braimah, noted that his outfit is hopeful the continued collaboration will assist the sector to improve its services to the citizenry.

For his part, MD of Aarhus Municipality, Henrik Seiding, intimated that Aarhus has for decades worked with issues like water loss and protection, resource efficiency, and the overall development of a smart and cost-effective utility that delivers service to the expectation of its citizens and industries; and is willing to share its experience with Ghana.

”The city of Aarhus is focusing on sustainable development of the city with regard to climate mitigation, climate adaptation, and water management. It wants to contribute to accomplishing the ambitious SDG goals on clean water – both in Aarhus and internationally. Aarhus is facilitating sustainable development by sharing experiences, methodologies, and technologies in water management,” he noted.