The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) has reported that the water shortage situation in the Tamale community has worsened due to the prevailing harmattan weather conditions in the northern part of the country.

Stanley Martey, the Director of Communications at the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL), stated that the unfavourable weather conditions have caused the Nawuni River to dry up, exacerbating the situation.

Member of Parliament for Tamale South, Haruna Iddrisu, raised concerns on Tuesday, February 13, about the acute water shortage in the Tamale metropolis, which he said has persisted for over two years. He lamented that the situation has brought immense hardship to residents in his constituency.

Stanley Martey attributed the problem largely to the dry weather conditions, highlighting the challenges faced by the Ghana Water Company Limited in providing adequate water supply to the affected areas.

“Around this time of the year, we are in the dry season, and the levels of the Nawuni River, where we fetch water for treatment, have gone down. When the levels go down, they win alluvial sand, which destroys the quality of the raw water. So, it becomes difficult for us to get water with low turbidity to treat.”

Meanwhile, the Ghana Water Company Limited has announced that it will shut down one of its plants at Kpong, starting from Wednesday, February 14. This plant serves the people of Somanya and its environs.

Mr. Martey stated that the temporary shutdown is necessary to facilitate the installation of a new interconnection pipeline and foot valves at the Kpong Water Treatment Plant. He assured the public that measures have been taken to ensure there is no water shortage during this period.

“In the last two weeks, we have been planning for this interconnection, and we have informed the areas that will be affected, especially the entire Krobo area.

“We have been able to work out some 3 million gallons of water more into the system to ensure that we can finish the job within 48 hours to put the plant back into operation.”