The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) has said customers in the Central Region owe a total of GHS134.3 million.

This was disclosed by the Central Regional Engineer of the GWCL, Mr Thomas Amenyah at a stakeholder dialogue on Wednesday, 24 November 2021 in Cape Coast.

The dialogue was organised by the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC).

Some of the debts owed to GWCL in the region date back to four years.

According to the Central Regional Engineer of the GWCL, the cost of operations of the company was becoming expensive, as a result of the deplorable state of raw sources of water due to illegal mining activities and the high cost of chemicals.

He further noted that although there has been an improvement toward curbing the activities of illegal miners to restore raw water sources to their original turbidity, the company is doing its part and wants “other stakeholders to do their part to get potable water and efficient services for all.”

Educational institutions, security agencies, commercial, domestic and industrial users are among the current defaulters in the region.

The total amount owed to the water company by educational institutions in the region is GHS78.8 million with tertiary institutions owing GHS53.6 million and Senior High Schools GHS25.2 million.

Security agencies owe the water company a total of GHS7.4 million.

This includes the Ghana Prisons Service, which owes GHS3.6 million while the Police Service owes GHS3.4 million and the Ghana National Fire Service, GHS400,000.

Commercial, domestic and industrial users owe the company GHS42.7 million.