There is a looming water crisis in the north as the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo) has disconnected power to the Dalun Water Treatment Plant in the Northern Region, over a GH¢39.7 million debt.

According to the Public Relations Officer of NEDCo, Maxwell Kotoka, the disconnection in Dalun has become necessary because the Ghana Water Company (GWC) failed to settle the debt.

This was part of NEDCo’s revenue mobilisation exercise and an attempt to improve upon the Company’s GH¢15 million monthly operational loss.

“The Dalun water plant owns NEDCo GH¢39.7million, in fact not just the Dalun plant, the entire northern area in Tamale, Dalun has a chunk of that amount by way of its debt to NEDCo.”

“Over time, because of constant collaboration and demands on Ghana Water Company, we have succeeded in placing nearly all their non-critical plants on prepaid, so we do not so have much of a challenge there.”

“But this plant owes GH¢39.7 million as of April 2023, meanwhile when we continue to bring power to the operational area at a cost of about GH¢120 million a month, we’re only able to collect GH¢85 million that leaves a deficit of GH¢35 million every month,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Ghana Water Company says it is surprised at the turn of events, especially when NEDCo is also on its debt list.

 “Our customers are owing us, we need the money to pay some of these bills, they themselves are our customers and they’re also owing us and we expect that they’ll also pay.”

“Is it the right way to go about it especially when we’re all in the same soup, we’re all government agencies working for the improvement of this economy.”

“So is it right for them to disconnect the treatment plants, depriving a whole municipality of water, but whatever it is, we wouldn’t follow suit, we wouldn’t retaliate in like manner but we’ll continually engage them like we’ve always done and we hope to settle our bills,” he explained.

Residents of the Dalun community have also shared how this disconnection has greatly affected them.

One said, “Our Regional hospital, the central hospital, Tamale Teaching Hospital, there are patients around, we have new babies there, we have patients who are in bed so they should try their best as much as possible and resolve their problem so that it will not affect the communities within Tamale and its environs.”

 Another resident lamented “It will be a critical problem for us”