GWCL debunks claims it has increased cost of water

The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) has dismissed claims suggesting that it has increased the cost of water supply in the country.

According to the Water Service provider, water tariffs are not increased unless approved by the Public Utility Regulatory  Commission (PURC).

“Tariffs used in billing customers are only and can be approved and accepted by the PURC. If PURC hasn’t increased tariffs, there’s no way GWCL can increase the tariffs of Consumers,” Public Relations Manager for GWCL, Stanley Martey said.

He made the comments during Friday’s edition of the Super Morning Show, on the back of complaints about a sharp increase in the cost of water since January 2021.

Consumers have accused government and the service of overbilling the public to cover up the cost of free water supply introduced as part of incentive packages to support citizens in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, Mr Martey says customers are billed according to their consumption which can only be determined by their meter readings.

“Because we use an electronic device in reading our metres, the metre reader cannot bill a customer when he hasn’t visited the customer’s premises. There is no way a metre reader will sit in his office and bill someone,” he said.

That notwithstanding, he indicated that human errors could occur, leading to changes in figures.

He, therefore, has asked consumers who notice such changes to report to the nearest GWCL office for redress.