The Acting Chief Manager of Ghana Water Company Limited in the Western Region, Nana Yaw Barima Barnie, has revealed that customers in the region owe the company over GHS 23 million for water supplied.

He noted that this significant debt is impacting the company’s ability to maintain a continuous water supply to residents.

Speaking to Citi News in Takoradi on Tuesday, October 29, Mr Barnie announced that the Ghana Water Company is initiating a revenue mobilization campaign aimed at recovering the outstanding GHS 23 million. This effort is crucial for sustaining the company’s water supply operations in the region.

“Currently, Ghana Water Company has a big issue of arrears owed by customers. Countrywide, we are owed in excess of GHS800 million and when you come to Western Region alone, the arrears are in excess of GHS23millions and that is a big problem for us,” he said.

Highlighting the disturbing situation, Mr Barnie said such non-payment of bills affects its operational strength since it imports several of its inputs for water treatment.

“Ghana Water Company at the moment is not a subverted organisation and so what we need to do in our day-to-day operations, we need to depend on the bills our customers pay us. Thus, we buy chemicals in foreign currencies, pipes, fuel our vehicles, maintain equipment breakdowns which happen frequently, pay salaries of staff and a lot more.

“All these require a lot of money, and that money comes from the bills customers pay. So if you have a customer who pays you just GHS300 out of a bill of GHS,1000, it means you’re not in good business,” he noted.

The Acting Western Regional Chief Manager of the Ghana Water Company therefore said it is embarking on an intensive revenue mobilisation to recover these arrears with disconnections for defaulters.

“We are moving from house to house to collect bills that people owe us from now till December end. If we come to your house, we expect that you pay us what you owe us. It is not in our interest to disconnect a customer, so we want customers to pay their bills even before we get there,” he added.