Erratic power supply affect water supply in Tamale

The public hearing was organised by the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission to elicit views from the public about the performance of utility service providers.

In attendance were the general public, chiefs and identifiable groups.

He explained that the water pumping plant needed continuous power supply in order to generate enough pressure to pump the water to higher locations.

Mr Ennim said if there was not enough pressure to pump the water to higher locations, only low lying areas in towns would get water.

He described the power supply to the Tamale water pumping plant as very erratic; hence, the inability of some areas to get water.

He advised people to cultivate the habit of storing water even if they had regular water supply on their premises.

Some participants also had strong opinions about the power supply situation in the metropolis.

They complained of how lights go out without prior notice at certain places in the metropolis and the inability of the Northern Electricity Company (NEDCo) and the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) to offer any tangible explanation.

An official of the Volta River Authority, Mr Samuel Sarpong, said it was very expensive to generate power from thermal sources, which has become a major part of power generation to the company.

He said despite the high cost of power generation from thermal sources, the company continued to supply power to the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) at a very reduced price, thereby incurring a total loss of GH¢0.6883 for a unit of electricity produced and sold from Takoradi and Tema where the thermal plants are located.

The Public Relations Officer of GRIDCo, Mr Albert Quainoo, said the company was setting up a lot of transformers at vantage points in the north to transport power efficiently to connect many areas.

Story by Marcelinus Dery