PRESS STATEMENT ON END OF FREE WATER ISSUED IN ACCRA ON 23 DECEMBER 2020

With reference  to the Presidential directive  on provision  of Free  Water to Ghanaians  from April  to December  2020,  as part  of measures  to prevent  the  spread  of COVID-19  in the country,  Community  Water and Sanitation  Agency  (CWSA) and the Ministry  of Sanitation and Water Resources, wish to inform all customers in rural communities and small towns that effective Thursday  31st December, 2020,  the provision of Free Water to Ghanaians  comes to an end.

In this regard,  customers  of CWSA,  and all other water services providers  in the rural Subsector  namely;  Private   Water  Providers,   Water  &  Sanitation   Management   Committees (WSMTs)  and  NGOs,  as well  as the  general  public  should  please  note  that,  effective  1st January   2021,   the   monthly   payment   of  bills   for   water   consumed   will   become   the responsibility   of the  customers  and  not  Government  of Ghana.  All  categories  of water services  providers  who  participated  in  the  provision  of Free  Water  within the designated period are also to note that CWSA will not accept bills on water consumed by their customers from 1st January 2021. They are therefore advised to revert to the former methods  of billing and collection of payment from customers.

CWSA  also wishes to inform all consumers  in rural communities  and small towns that the Agency’s   Water   System   Management   Staff   (WSMS)   will   resume   full   operations   in connection   with  billing,  meter  reading   and  revenue   collection   from  customers   at  the designated places as was done before the commencement  of the Free Water. These staff will identify themselves  appropriately  and observe all the Covid-19 protocols within the premises of customers.

The Agency wishes customers to note however that,  observance of the covid-19 protocols  at all public standpipes manned by vendors as well as all premises of the Water System Offices will be strictly enforced.  Community members are therefore reminded to continue to observe the following preventive instructions at public standpipes:

• Water Vendors  will  revert  to  normal  opening  hours  for the  provision  of  water  as previous.
• Water Vendors  will  continue  to  serve  one  consumer  at  a  time  and  ensure  the observance of social distancing protocols in force to avoid crowding at all times.
• Where consumers fail to observe social distancing protocols and mass up at the stand pipe, the vendor will temporarily close the tap until order is restored to save lives.

Community Water and Sanitation Agency would like to assure its customers of continuous supply of safe water and quality services.

The  Agency  and  the  Ministry  of Sanitation  and  Water  Resources  express  their  sincere gratitude to all Customers and Water Services Providers  for their cooperation  towards the implementation  of the presidential  directive of Free Water to rural communities  and small towns throughout the nine months period.

On behalf of the Sector Minister, Board and Management of CWSA, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a prosperous 2021.

Pauline Tambra (Mrs.)

Chief Public Relations Manager

Lick there to download files: End of Free Water, CWSA

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CWSA: Press Briefing on Provision of Free Water

ISSUED IN ACCRA APRIL 8, 2020.

Further to the Presidential directive on provision of free water to the Ghanaian population during
the COVID-19 Emergency Response period, April to June 2020, the Management of the
Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) led by the Chief Executive, Ing. Worlanyo
Kwadjo Siabi has issued instructions to guide the Agency’s Regional Directors and Water System
Management Staff on the implementation of the directive in the CWSA managed pipe water
systems in small towns.

Speaking from the CWSA Head Office in Accra, the Chief Executive underscored the importance
of the practice of proper handwashing with soap as a major protocol in the prevention of the spread
of Covid-19. Accordingly, he reiterated the need for CWSA to ensure that there is continuous flow
of water to facilitate good hygiene and handwashing in communities. He entreated all staff of
CWSA to work diligently to ensure that the directive of the President is fully carried out and issued
the following guidelines.

Category of customers to be provided with free water – Regional Directors and Water System
Management Staff are to provide free water for the next three months to domestic and public
institutional consumers such as the police and health institutions. These categories of consumers
are exempted from paying water bills during the three months period as directed by the President.
Segmentation of Water Consumers – Industrial and commercial users of water including those
within household and institutional installations are not covered by the free water provision and
should therefore be billed appropriately to pay for water consumed for such commercial purposes.

Water System Management Staff must therefore validate their customer segmentation data to
distinguish commercial and industrial users from domestic customers to avoid classifying them as
domestic consumers.

Provision of Water at Prepaid Standpipes – Where prepaid tokens are used, CWSA staff will
load up to forty (40) litres per person per day. The Staff are also to ensure that individuals holding
the tokens would make known the total number of persons per household. These household
numbers provided should be verified by the staff for accuracy and data compilation.

Meter Reading and Billing – April to June 2020 – Water system staff will continue with their
normal daily duties of reading of the meters, calculating and distributing bills to customers. CWSA
will indicate on the bills that Government has absorbed the bills for the period (April to June 2020)
and explain to customers they are not to pay the bills within the three months period. The staff, he
noted, are to carry out all expected duties in satisfying and retaining the confidence of the
consumers.

Instructions to Vendors and Behaviour at Public Standpipes – To ensure that the Covid-19
prevention protocols are duly adhered to by community members at the public standpipes, the
Chief Executive directed that water vendors should observe the following:
• Vendors should continue to use normal opening hours for the provision of free water.
• In every community, a standpipe should be designated to sell water solely to industrial and
commercial users.
• Water Vendors should serve one consumer at a time and ensure the observance of the social
distancing protocols in force to avoid crowding at all times.
• Where consumers fail to observe the social distancing protocols and mass up at the stand
pipe, the vendor must temporarily close the tap until order is restored to save lives.
• Drums and barrels exceeding the size of the usual containers (buckets, basins and the
‘Yellow gallon’) are prohibited at the public stand pipes. The Chief Executive explained
that the filling of such big receptacles by one person during the normal fetching hours has
the potential of stirring controversy, creating agitation over the time used by that one person
in filling his or her receptacles, as others wait in the queue.

The Chief Executive, Ing. Worlanyo Kwadjo Siabi said that the Community Water and Sanitation
Agency would like to assure Ghanaians of continuous flow of water throughout the designated
period. In addition, the Agency is currently distributing handwashing facilities with soap and
alcohol based hand sanitizers to its offices, community clinics and CHPS Compounds in all CWSA
managed water system communities nationwide to facilitate proper handwashing with soap as a
measure to curb the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic.

End.

About the CWSA

The Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) is the public service institution under the
Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources, responsible for providing safe water, water related
sanitation and hygiene promotion services to rural communities and small towns in Ghana.
ING. WORLANYO KWADJO SIABICHIEF EXECUTIVE

Contact Person
Pauline Tambro
Chief Public Relations Manager
Tel. 0244369956
Email. estellapauline@yahoo.co.uk

The Community Water and Sanitation Agency has commenced the distribution of local handwashing facilities, such as Veronica buckets, hand sanitizers and detergents to institutions across the country to promote the healthy habit of proper handwashing.

The support will also be extended to Community-Based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) Compounds and community clinics.

The programme is being implemented under the “Enhanced Water and Sanitation” project of Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources.

Proper handwashing with soap under running water is an essential part of the guidelines issued by the World Health Organization to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

At a presentation of some hand washing items to the Osu Children’s Home in Accra, on Tuesday, Mrs Cecilia Abena Dapaah, Sector Minister, emphasised that a concerted effort was needed to fight the spread of the COVID-19.

The President, she said, had shown commitment to be transparent with the citizenry in all matters related to the respiratory disease, which was disrupting economic and social life around the globe, and called on everyone to be committed towards combating the dangers posed by the virus.

The Minister said new and intensified plans were being rolled out to ensure that the CWSA distributed more hand washing facilities across the country.

“It is part of their regular operations, but now we have intensified this operation to make sure that the President’s directive of strictly adhering to the WHOs protocols, especially on handwashing, is obeyed,” Mrs Dapaah said.

Mr Worlanyo Siabi, the Chief Executive of the CWSA, said the Agency was leaving no stone unturned in reaching many people with the education on hand washing and the distribution of the facilities.

All the regional and district offices of the CWSA, he said, had also been tasked to take hand washing seriously and educate other to do same.

The Management of the OSU Children’s Home, expressed gratitude to the Ministry and CWSA for the support, and gave an assurance that they were going to ensure a good maintenance culture to enable the facilities to serve them for long.