The Ghana Water Company limited (GWCL) is considering two proposals to resolve the perennial water shortage experienced in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis and its surrounding communities.
The two considerations are the processing of sea water into potable water and the expansion of the Daboase Water Treatment Plant.
The Western Regional Manager of the GWCL, Mr. Daniel Moumaala, told the media in Sekondi that the first option by the company in rectifying the water shortage in the twin-city is by expanding the Daboase Water Treatment plant.
This, he said, would increase its production capacity from six million gallons per day to 22 million gallons daily.
He said currently the Daboase dam was producing below its production capacity with four million gallons per day due to inadequate in-flow of water from the Pra River into the water treatment plant as a result of erratic rainfall pattern in recent times.
Mr. Moumaala indicated that the Inchaban water treatment plant with four million production capacity is currently producing six hundred thousand (600,000) with a shortfall of 5.4 million gallons per day thus, resulting in water rationing in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis.
He, therefore, suggested replacement of the electro-mechanical machines there with modern machines to boost production.
The second option, the GWCL Manager said, was by processing sea water into potable water in a process known as “Desalination”.
Mr. Moumaala, however, noted that this method is very expensive and would result in increase in water tariffs by two-and-half percent which would worsen the already high water tariffs being paid by consumers.
Currently, he said, the population of the region consumed an average of 15.8 million gallons of water daily, adding that it is now experiencing a shortfall of 11.8 million gallons per day and called for proactive measures by all stakeholders by investing in the water sector to rectify the challenge.
Source: Daily Graphic