Residents in the Ashanti Region may, in the coming days, need to find alternative sources of water as the Ghana Water Limited (GWL) in the region has shut down operations.

The shutdown is a result of a protest occasioned by a demolition exercise carried out by a private developer on a property they claim belong to the company.

On Wednesday, December 11, the workers issued an ultimatum to the private developer and stakeholders involved in the demolition of their property in the Ridge residential area of Kumasi.

They demanded an immediate halt to the exercise, warning that failure to comply would force them to cut the water supply.

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However, checks by JoyNews have revealed that the land was used as collateral by private developers tasked with constructing bungalows for government agencies.

The Vice Chair of the Senior Staff Association of Ghana Water Limited in Ashanti, Emmanuel Okpoti, stated that the demolition at the earmarked site could affect water distribution across the metropolis.

He explained that the company had shut down operations throughout the Ashanti Region and would only resume once they received assurances from the appropriate authorities addressing their concerns.

“What is happening now—if we give in—it means they will simply take away all of our facilities. How can we supply water when we don’t have the opportunity to expand?” he said.

Mr Okpoti added: “The redevelopment they are proposing if it increases the population density around that area, will mean we must improve the water pressure there. Now, the spaces we have that could be converted for this purpose are the very ones they are now selling.”