They complain of erratic water supply following the decision by the Ghana Water Company to shut down the Accra Desalination Plant.

[contextly_sidebar id=”rkG1Dnc1f4X9Sqnc88a1fLpqx11aFzyt”]The shutdown of the Accra Desalination plant which was commissioned three years ago to help with the water supply in areas of Accra like Teshie, Nungua, Spintex, Lashibi, Sakumono and surrounding communities since 1st of January 2018, has left residents of very frustrated.

The plant was shut down for renegotiation of the contractual agreement between the company and the managers of the plant, Messrs Befessa.

Two weeks after the shutdown, Citi News’ Anass Seidu visited two affected communities, Teshie and Nungua to find out how the irregular supply of water has affected the residents, and how they are coping with the situation.

According to the residents, the water they are getting from boreholes is of poor quality.

“For almost two weeks now, I have not been getting water, it’s really tough. Yesterday I had to send my boy to go far away to search for borehole water,” a resident lamented

“The water quality is not that good, when you put the water down for like 30minutes, you will see some yellowish particles settle down at the bottom of the bucket,” another frustrated resident said.

The residents also said the reason given to them by the government to shut down the plant is unjustifiable.

Speaking on behalf of residents of the affected communities, Gideon Tettey said they [residents] will not suffer because of the ineffectiveness on the side of Ghana Water Company

“Ghana Water Company failed to fulfil its promises. According to the document that we have realized, if it was not because of Ghana Water Company, that plant would not have been constructed and Ghana water company gave approval and assurance to Ghana government that they are going to install prepaid meters and fix the distribution issue among other things to raise revenue to pay the development of the plant, so if at this point in time Ghana Water Company has not done their homework and so for that matter we residents of Teshie Nungua, Labadi and its environs will suffer because of the incompetence of Ghana Water company, I beg to differ, ”he said.

The residents have thus threatened to embark on seven days continuous demonstration if Ghana Water Company fails to address their issues.

“Assemblymen, market women and all the youth in various churches from Teshie Nungua Labadi in its environs are just waiting for a notification to embark on a seven-day sustained demonstration asking that our everyday water is restored,” he said.

About the desalination plant

In 2011, the Government of Ghana awarded a contract to Befesa Desalination Development Ghana for the establishment of the sea water treatment plant to produce clean water, which will be channelled into the pipelines of GWCL.

Messrs Befesa Limited, an engineering firm, was contracted by the government to build the desalination plant, operate to defray its cost, and hand over to the GWCL after 25 years.

The project was executed by Abengoa, a Spanish company, and Sojitz Corporation, Japan’s largest importer of rare earth metals.

The two hold a 94% equity in the project. The plant was designed, constructed and is being operated by Befesa Desalination Developments Ghana, a joint venture of Abengoa Water Investments Ghana, Daye Water Investment (Ghana), and their local partner Hydrocol.

A consolidation of all the costs of the plants culminates in GWCL buying the water from the plant at about GHc 6.5 per cubic meter and selling at the regulated Public Utilities Regulatory Commission rate of about GHc 1.5 per cubic meter.

This arrangement meant that the GWCL is said to be losing about GHc5:00 for every cubic meter of water sold from the Teshie Desalination Plant.

Citi News‘ checks indicate that the GWCL makes payments of GHc 8 million a month to the financiers of the project, although it makes only GHc 2 million by supplying treated water from the plant.

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By: Farida Yusif/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Their demand comes regardless of a caution from operators of the water plant, Hydrocol, that the said termination will cost government about US $ 123 million.

[contextly_sidebar id=”iHz56Ja2MmnFVgRghV2mMU9PgGw2SWVQ”]The Deputy General Secretary of PUWU, Richard Nyaaba, who made the demand on behalf of the Union on Eyewitness News, said their demands had become necessary, given what it describes as the “heavy financial burden” it is places on the GWCL.

“If we do not take care, that plant will run down the Ghana Water Company and it cannot perform its mandate of supplying others with water,” argued Mr. Nyaaba.

Mr. Nyaaba in defending his call for termination, also pointed out that the plant when closed down will only affect residents of Teshie who have been the main beneficiaries of this project and not Ghanaians as a whole.

PUWU’s call came hours after they called for a thorough investigation into the various roles played by public officials who negotiated the agreement for the construction of the plant.

PUWU had argued that the said project had “seriously weakened the capacity of GWCL to deliver on its mandate.”

Meanwhile, the GWCL has indicated that it is in talks with government to decide on the way forward.

The Chief Executive Officer of GWCL who made this revelation on Eyewitness News , Clifford Braimah said: “Government is working on it. We have series of meetings, series of interactions and then we are getting into the conclusion stages so we need some time to finalise whatever we are doing.”

“It is a project for the Republic of Ghana. It is a PPP project between the government of Ghana and the people who promoted the project. It went through Cabinet to Parliament and so it is a national project. If there is going to be anything, we have to go through due process to take any decision.”

In 2011, the Government of Ghana awarded a contract to Befesa Desalination Development Ghana for the establishment of the sea water treatment plant to produce clean water, which will be channeled into the pipelines of GWCL.

Messrs Befesa Limited, an engineering firm, was contracted by the government to build the desalination plant, operate to defray its cost, and hand over to the GWCL after 25 years.

The project was executed by Abengoa, a Spanish company, and Sojitz Corporation, Japan’s largest importer of rare earth metals.

The two hold a 94% equity in the project. The plant was designed, constructed and is being operated by Befesa Desalination Developments Ghana, a joint venture of Abengoa Water Investments Ghana, Daye Water Investment (Ghana), and their local partner Hydrocol.

Meanwhile, the operators of the Teshie Desalination Plant, Hydrocol limited, has blamed the woes of the plant on what it called the Ghana Water Company Limited’s (GWCL) failings in revenue collection.

Poor revenue collection cause of desalination plant woes – Operators

Also speaking on Eyewitness News, the CEO of Hydrocol limited, Henry Ofori, insisted that “the biggest problem we have with Ghana Water is the non-revenue collection… If they were able to solve that problem, they wouldn’t have a challenge with this plant.

Mr. Ofori said Ghana water is struggling to be independent and self-sustaining because they are used to government always stepping in to bail them out.

“They [GWLC] were never used to having to pay for water. This was all set up by the government for them and for many years, they were selling water and not accounting for what they were selling,” he said.

Terminating contact to cost over $126 million

Mr. Ofori has advised against any move to terminate the contract, as stated by the Public Utility Workers Union.

He said the termination of the contract would “cost Ghana dearly” and even more than the $126 million cost of the plant.

“You have private investors involved in this and there was a lot of money that was borrowed for this project… I can’t give you an exact figure, but it will cost more than $126 million to terminate such a project,” he warned.

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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @EfeAnsah

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According to them, an earlier report by Citi News had pushed the government to begin work on the road, which was abandoned weeks later.

Caleb Kudah, who filed the first report three months ago, returned to the are to report on the progress that had been made.

He however observed that, the road that runs through the community had deteriorated, leaving drivers frustrated particularly when it rains.

One resident, who preferred to remain anonymous, accompanied Caleb Kudah on a drive through the community, and expressed her frustration with the daily hustle the residents have to endure when they ply the route.

“You need to be extra vigilant. It’s very strenuous. Look at all these manholes we are falling into, if it were a rainy day and they were full, how would we see and avoid them,” she said.

“The day [Citi FM] aired the report, I saw trucks full of gravel. The next morning they had leveled the road. I thought that was the end to our troubles but it was only a camouflage.”

Driving through the pitch black streets, Caleb Kudah inquired about streetlights, and was immediately told “there is nothing like that over here.”

“The whole place is dark, you can imagine what happens when it rains. It’s terrible, you can’t tell where you are going and what you are passing through,” she added.

She added that, the residents had to contend with a swarm of mosquitoes whenever it rained, due to the presence of uncovered drains that had been left behind by the contractors.

“You can’t describe this as a road because they have stopped the work, water collects in the drains, and spills onto the road when it rains. This breeds mosquitoes.”

She also likened the situation in the area to the “Akosombo Dam”, and stated that she always left her car at work whenever there was a downpour as she could not risk driving it through the large puddles on the road.

“Plying this road daily with my car – a Kia Picanto – is dangerous. Sometimes, when it rains, I don’t try coming home with a car. I park my car in the office and take a trotro back home.”

Listen to Caleb Kudah’s full report below:

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By: Edwin Kwakofi/citifmonline.com/Ghana

Report by: Caleb Kudah

The post Teshie residents bemoan ‘impassable’ roads, no street lights [Report] appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Men, women, children, kinsmen and the entire folks in and around Teshie in the Greater Accra Region are in a jubilant mode as they bring their annual Homowo festival to an end, amidst merry making.

The festival will climax with street carnivals on principal streets in the area, which are expected to last over night.

The post Teshie residents throng streets to celebrate Homowo [Photos] appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The MP who is a medical doctor himself with his team screened over 700 people and also gave them drugs for free.

Speaking to Citi News, Dr. Okoe Boye said the exercise was aimed at ensuring that his constituents were healthy enough to partake in the upcoming Homowo festival.

“Being healthy is very important and as we celebrate our festival I think one way to ensure that my constituents are healthy is to organise this exercise,” he added.

Homowo is a key milestone in the history of the Ga people, as it recounts their migration and reveals their agricultural success.

According to Ga oral tradition, a severe famine broke out among the people during their migration to present-day Accra and they were inspired by the famine to embark on massive food production, which eventually yielded them a bumper harvest which ended their hunger.

So with great joy, they decided to set aside a day to ‘hoot at hunger’ thus the Homowo celebration.

Prior to the festival, the traditional authorities place a ban on drumming and noisemaking in parts of the capital city, Accra.

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By: Philip Nii Lartey/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Ledzekuku MP screens constituents ahead of Teshie Homowo appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The festival which means “hooting at hunger” was characterised by several activities such as the pouring of libation by the traditional authorities and the sprinkling of their traditional food; “Kpokpoe” amidst gunshots, singing and drumming.

Led by the chief of Gbese, Nii Ayi Bonte II, the traditional leaders, clothed in red apparels, moved from one home to the other, sprinkling the traditional food and blessing their subjects.

Prior to the festival, there was a month-long ban on noise making and drumming in the capital city, Accra.

The Ga-Mashie group celebrates the festival first followed by other towns including the La and Teshie groups.

Homowo recounts the migration of the Gas and reveals their agricultural success in their new settlement.

According to Ga oral tradition, a severe famine broke out among the people during their migration to present day Accra.

They were inspired by the famine to embark on massive food production exercises which eventually yielded them bumper harvests.

Their hunger ended and with great joy, they “hooted at hunger.”

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By: Roberta Edem Abbeyquaye/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Ga Mashie celebrates homowo in grand style [Photos] appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

This is because a GHc320, 000 Community-Based Health Planning and Services popularly called CHPS compound inaugurated by the previous government about a year ago is not operational.

The facility has been left to rot while access to health care still remains a headache in the area.

Citi News’ Anass Seidu visited the area and filed the following report (Click below):

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By: citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post GHc 320,000 completed CHPS abandoned in Teshie [Report] appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

He said the anger of the rivers and gods is because the lands around rivers are being sold indiscriminately and some pastors have also be denigrating the image of the rivers and gods.

He has also revealed that the recent VIP bus accidents that claimed precious lives is because of black magic – juju.

In an interview with citifmonline.com, he revealed that because of unhealthy competition among owners of the VIP buses, some of the owners have resorted to juju to thwart the progress of their competitors, hence the accidents.

“Those people who buy the VIP buses, they are using juju to destroy people…their cars. So if I have 100 and you have maybe 20, and because you have 20 you want to be like me, … you take my name to a traditionalist, the pastors and any spiritual man to do something for you and they are killing our brothers and sisters!” he said.

He added that he has consulted his gods and wants Ghanaians in general to pray for the almighty God to intervene in the situation before more lives are lost.

He has therefore called on president John Dramani Mahama to take gather all the former leaders of the state to fix whatever issues they have to avert disaster.

Audio: Listen to Kwaku Bonsam’s prophesies

By: Kojo Akoto Boateng/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Juju is cause of fatal VIP bus accidents – Kwaku Bonsam appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.