- There is a water management knowledge gap at the district and community levels. Water provision, operation and maintenance is technical and involves the application of resources. Therefore, there is need to deploy qualified professionals.
- Many of the water systems cannot provide uninterrupted service to communities as a result of frequent breakdowns.
- Water quality of most systems is not monitored, on a wrong assumption that groundwater which is the most used water source has a constant quality. Even when water quality tests are carried out, its interpretation is difficult for the districts and communities.
- Most water systems are designed over a ten (10) year life and beyond this period, the systems are not expanded to respond to population growth and development of communities.
- Non-revenue water OR Unaccounted for water OR Water Losses are very high. An effort is required to reduce this to the desired 10% maximum.
- The cost of rural water keeps increasing across communities, even much higher than prescribed by the Public Utility Regulatory Commission (PURC), as a result of several unresolved difficulties.
- Ghana’s attainment of lower-middle-income status has led to a decline in grants/credit to the sub-sector.
- Financing for post-construction operation and maintenance is inadequate to guarantee regular follow-ups, repairs and maintenance.
- Continuous cycle of breakdown and rehabilitation with resources that should have been used to provide water systems to ‘first-time’ beneficiaries.
Under the reform, CWSA will take the necessary steps to transform the sector, make improvements in water delivery services in all communities and create jobs. The reform also seeks to expand the mandate of CWSA to include the management of Piped Water Systems whilst maintaining the role of providing and managing point source water systems. As a result, the Community Ownership and Management model has been modified from the use of non-professionals to manage water systems to the engagement water systems management professionals. As part of the reform programme, revenue generated from the piped water supply systems will be used to support the operation and management of point water systems as well as sanitation and hygiene promotion.