The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) has ordered the Ghana Water Limited (GWL), to furnish it within five days, with a timeline for the resolution of the water crisis in the Krobo area, which is causing agitation among residents.  

This follows a joint petition submitted by two youth groups in the Krobo area, Kloma Gbi and Kloma Hengme, to the regulatory body on the issue.  

A letter signed by Ms Kesewaa Apenteng-Addo, the Regional Manager of the Commission also ordered the GWL to indicate steps it had taken and would take to resolve the challenge.  

Meanwhile, a team from the Commission had visited the affected communities in the Krobo area to assess the situation and held a community engagement with residents, assembly members, opinion leaders, and representatives of the two groups (the petitioners), among others.  

The meeting was to enable the Commission to elicit further information regarding the water crisis, to help avert the looming communal outburst.  

The youth groups in a letter dated January 14, 2025, petitioned PURC to compel the GWL to restore the flow of potable water to communities such as Sawer in the Yilo Krobo Municipality, and Atua, Kodjonya, Odumase South, etc. in the Lower Manya Krobo Municipality.  

The communities, among several others, have not had access to treated water from the GWL for over six months following the destruction of some underground pipes, due to an ongoing construction works on the Somanya-Odumase-Kpong road, which runs through the two municipalities.  

The situation has greatly incensed the people of the affected communities, largely due to what they described as the “indifferent attitude on the part of GWL and the contractors,” General Construction and Development Limited which is working on the road, necessitating the petition by the two groups.  

Mr Henking A. Adjase-Kodjo, the Director of Communications for Kloma Gbi, expressed satisfaction at the level of attention accorded the petition by the PURC and commended the Commission for the steps taken so far, expressing the hope that further actions would be taken to help remedy the situation in a few days.  

Dr Eric Tamatey Lawer, the General Secretary for Kloma Hengme, also commended the PURC and charged the Commission to investigate the general and persistent issue of inadequate supply of water to the Krobo area beyond the recent disruption caused by the road construction work.  

He said equity in the distribution of water to the Krobo area and other towns was what they were asking for.