…Begins Replacement Of Faulty Meters
Ghana Water Limited (GWL) says it has made incredible progress in achieving significant milestones to ensure the safety, quality, and reliability of its water supply services.
It said it is in the process of implementing climate resilience Water Safety Plans (WSP) for all water supply systems within its operational areas.
These plans according to GWL, would serve as a comprehensive risk assessment and management approach that covers every aspect of the water supply process, ensuring the safety of drinking water.
Speaking at a news conference in Accra as part of the company’s “Accounting To Customers” initiative, Ing. Dr. Clifford Braimah said WSPs had been adopted as a standard for drinking water quality in Ghana.
WSP, he further said, is a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) for GWL operations.
He said “We have also adopted it as a policy, implementing and reporting on its progress as part of the National Drinking Water Quality Management Framework (NDWQMF) implementation.
Our commitment to water safety is evident through the development and dissemination of the WSP Operational Policy document and the Drinking Water Quality Policy Statement for GWCL.
These crucial documents were launched on August 9, 2022, during the maiden edition of “Accounting To Our Customers” (ATC 22). Training had been conducted for all regional implementation teams, and WSP documents were in the process of development for 30 Water Supply Systems.
We anticipate these documents to be completed and validated by December 2023.”
With regards to Water Quality Management and Water Treatment, he said, GWL consistently monitors and manages water quality in all its water supply systems, from raw water quality monitoring to distribution water quality management.
Despite environmental challenges such as Galamsey, industrial and domestic waste discharge in its raw water sources, Ing. Dr. Braimah said, his outfit would ensure that the quality of its drinking water meets established standards.
He said “Our quality assurance and control measures align with the Ghana Drinking Water Quality Standards and the National Drinking Water Quality Management Framework (NDWQMF).
We have achieved this through consistent water quality monitoring, the deployment of improved water treatment chemicals, and quality assurance measures.”
Commenting on Quality Management System (ISO 9001:2015), he indicated that, GWL is committed to achieving excellence in quality management, noting that GWL had implemented the ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System.
This system according to him, ensures GWL consistently provides products and services that meet customer and regulatory requirements while enhancing customer satisfaction and conformity to applicable standards.
The piloting of the Quality Management Systems (QMS): ISO 9001:2015 in Weija and its distribution system, he explained, had progressed well.
The aim according to him is to achieve certification for production, transmission, distribution, and revenue collection processes. The MD of GWL said, “We have completed two external audits conducted by external auditors in October 2023 and I am delighted to announce that GWCL was recommended for the ISO 9001:2015 Certification, with the expected receipt of certification in December 2023.”
He said in GWL’s quest to ensure efficient water distribution and minimize non-revenue water, several initiatives had been undertaken.
Ing. Dr. Braimah further said these initiatives encompass production metering, smart metering projects, regional visits, meter testing and verification exercises, and the innovative Water Loss Reduction Performance Based Contract (WLR-PBC).
On Production Metering, he indicated that over 400 Water Meters made up of Magnetic and Ultrasonic Clamp-on Meters had been procured and installed on 90 water systems.336 Meters, he adds, had already been installed with the rest to follow as chamber construction and meter shed installations reach completion.
Concerning Drive-By Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) and Fixed Network Smart Metering Project, the MD of GWL said, the company had successfully installed approximately 60,000 Smart Meters for drive-by Automatic Meter and Fixed Network Readings in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA) region transforming the districts into Smart Districts.
To ensure accuracy, he stated that, a survey had been launched to rectify discrepancies between installation and billing data.
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Available information per the news conference indicates that GWL had procured and installed 226 Meters for bulk consumers in Accra, Tema Metropolitan Area to complement its industrial Metering cause.
Capitalnewsonline.com has also gathered that GWL has set its sights on replacing all faulty meters in all regions of the country.
On Water Loss Reduction Performance Based Contracting (WLR-PBC), this reporter has established that, GWL had launched a technical assessment in the Accra East Region.
Preliminary activities, including GIS mapping and DMA validation, are underway while procurements for the PBC’s implementation have been meticulously planned and executed.
Source: Adovor Nutifafa
dovor100@gmail.com
