Residents of Amasaman in the Ga West Municipality, who suffered disconnection of water supply for a month, are now breathing a sigh of relief as their supply has been re-connected, thanks to a directive by the Governing Board of the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL).
Myjoyonline.com on Wednesday September 26, 2012, reported of how a feud between Ghana Urban Water Company Limited (GUWCL) and local contractors K. Adu Construction and Plumbing Works, had left over 500 households of the area without water supply for weeks.
The feud ensued as a result of a stand-off between the two service providers over a Ghc50, 000 being demanded from the construction firm as cost of pumping treated water into their transmission lines for distribution to homes.
The contractors initially contested the bill, claiming that there were leakages in the lines which led to loss of water and makes it unlawful for the GUWCL to demand money for services the people did not enjoy. The stand-off subsequently resulted in the removal of the bulk meter belonging to K. Adu Contraction and Plumbing works, resulting in the cut of water supply to the municipality.
GWCL reportedly held emergency meetings with officials from the GUCL and K. Adu Construction and Plumbing Works after the publication. An agreement was reached and the Board ordered GUWCL to re-install the meter to enable the contractor continue supplying water to the end users while they (K. Adu) made arrangements to settle the disputed bill.
However, some of the residents who said their taps started flowing last Wednesday 3rd October, 2012, are demanding compensation from the local contractors for making them suffer even though they could not be blamed for the dispute involving the two service providers in the area.
They said apart from spending extra in patronizing the services of tanker service providers, their lives were also put at risk since some of them had to fetch from nearby stream which is also the source of drinking for cattle in the area, which currently leads with Buruli ulcer in the country.
Meanwhile, the Communications Director for the local contractors Abdul Aziz Salifu Malik has admitted that the residents had genuine reasons to demand compensation from them but maintained that they (K. Adu) could not be blamed since the bill being demanded by GUWCL could not have been passed to them (clients) for a service they did not enjoy.
Mr. Malik however said management will meet to find out how the concerns of the clients can be addressed.