Ghana Water Company Limited on tariff

Ghanaians are being encouraged to support proposed water tariff increases as the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) grapples with escalating treatment costs driven by pollution from illegal mining activities.

Speaking at a Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) stakeholder consultation and public hearing in Cape Coast, the Chief Manager for Corporate Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation at GWCL, Michael Tawiah Klutse, said the company can no longer sustain its operations with the current tariff of GH¢5 per cubic meter. He noted that GWCL is proposing an upward adjustment to GH¢20 per cubic meter to maintain financial stability and ensure the continued supply of clean water to consumers.

“Our water sources have become severely polluted, largely due to galamsey. Treating such water is extremely costly, and without a tariff review, sustaining supply will be nearly impossible. Polluted water is not life,” Mr. Klutse told journalists after the session.

He further revealed that the Agona Kwanyako Water Treatment Plant in the Central Region remains closed because of contamination from illegal mining, a development that has compounded water supply challenges in the area.

The public hearing, chaired by Osabarimba Kwesi Atta II, Paramount Chief of the Oguaa Traditional Area, was part of PURC’s ongoing nationwide consultations on the 2025–2029 multi-year tariff review. The process provides an opportunity for utility consumers and other stakeholders to express their opinions on proposed tariff adjustments by service providers.

PURC officials emphasized that the consultations aim to promote transparency and fairness in the tariff-setting process while balancing consumer protection with the financial sustainability of public utilities.