Ageing Water Infrastructure: The Primary Cause of Chronic Water Shortages in Accra, Says GWL Boss

Chronic and disruptive water shortages affecting large parts of Accra and the surrounding Greater Accra Region are not primarily due to drought or lack of water sources, but to a critical, decades-long failure to modernize the nation’s core water treatment and distribution network. This is the stark assessment provided by Adam Mutawakilu, Managing Director of Ghana Water Limited (GWL), the state-owned utility responsible for water supply in urban areas. His explanation points to a systemic infrastructure crisis, where key facilities built in the mid-20th century are operating beyond their intended lifespan, plagued by obsolete technology and deteriorating pipes, while population growth and urbanization have exponentially increased demand without a corresponding rise in production capacity.

Key Points: The Infrastructure Crisis Explained

The core of GWL’s diagnosis can be summarized in several critical, interconnected points that form the foundation of the current water supply deficit.

Vintage Treatment Plants: The backbone of Accra’s water supply relies on plants constructed between 1950 and 1965, with some key facilities now over 70 years old.
Stagnant Production Capacity: Despite significant investments in new plants during the 2014-2015 period, there has been no net increase in the volume of water produced for the Accra metropolitan area in nearly a decade.
Deteriorating Distribution Network: Ancient pipelines, some made from asbestos cement and bare metal, suffer from frequent leaks, pressure losses, and breaks, leading to massive non-revenue water (NRW) losses.
Technical Obsolescence: At least five major treatment plants are now classified as “elderly,” operating below optimal efficiency due to outdated machinery and spare parts that are difficult to source.
Urbanization Pressure: Rapid, unplanned urban sprawl in Greater Accra has exponentially increased the customer base and demand on a static, crumbling system.
Investment Hiatus: A prolonged period of under-investment in major new treatment capacity followed the initial infrastructure build-out, creating a multi-decade gap in system expansion.

Background: A History of Build-Out and Stagnation

To understand the present crisis, one must examine the historical timeline of water infrastructure development in Ghana, particularly for the capital region.

The Colonial and Early Post-Independence Build-Out (1950s-1980s)

The current system’s skeleton was created during a specific historical window. As Mr. Mutawakilu detailed in his interview on the Joy Super Morning Show:

The “Candy” Plant (1950): One of the earliest large-scale treatment facilities serving Accra.
Kpong “Old” Works (1954): A critical installation on the Volta River system.
Weija Plant (1960): Built to serve the growing western corridors of Accra.
Kpong “New” Works (1965): An expansion to the Kpong facility.
Adomako Clarke Plant at Weija (1980): A later addition to the Weija complex.

These five facilities, constructed over a 30-year period ending in 1980, formed the permanent foundation of Accra’s water supply. The pace of major new construction then slowed dramatically for decades, leaving a system designed for a much smaller population and lower consumption patterns.

A Brief Investment Spur and its Limited Impact (2014-2015)

A notable exception to the long investment hiatus occurred under the administration of former President John Dramani Mahama. During 2014 and 2015, several projects were commissioned:

The Tahal Treatment Plant at Kpong.
A desalination plant at Kpong.
Projects executed by Siemens and China Gezhouba (likely involving upgrades, expansions, or new transmission lines).

Mr. Mutawakilu noted that four of the ten major plants in the system were constructed or significantly upgraded during this period. However, he crucially stated that “since then, not even a gallon of water has been added to production in Accra.” This suggests that while new *components* were added, they may have been replacements, rehabilitations, or expansions of existing capacity rather than the creation of entirely new production volume. The net result was a system with modernized sections but no overall increase in the total water output for the city.

Analysis: How Ageing Infrastructure Causes Shortages

The link between old infrastructure and water scarcity is not intuitive; the problem is not a lack of water, but a failure to deliver it. The analysis breaks down into two primary, synergistic domains: treatment capacity and distribution efficiency.

1. The Treatment Bottleneck: Plants Operating Below Potential

Water treatment plants have a designed “nameplate capacity”—the maximum volume they can process per day when all components are new and functioning perfectly. Ageing plants suffer from:

Obsolete Technology: Older pumps, motors, chemical dosing systems, and filtration media are less efficient and more prone to failure than modern equivalents.
Spare Parts Inavailability: Manufacturers may no longer support equipment from decades past, leading to long downtimes for repairs or costly custom fabrications.
Reduced Hydraulic Efficiency: Scale buildup, corrosion, and wear in old pipes and channels within the plant itself reduce the actual flow rate, meaning the plant cannot even achieve its original design capacity.

Therefore, a plant built to produce 50 million gallons per day (MGD) in 1960 might only reliably produce 35-40 MGD in 2024, even with the same raw water source. This directly caps the total water available for the city.

2. The Distribution Nightmare: A Leaking, Fragile Network

Even if treatment plants ran at 100% capacity, the water would be lost before reaching many consumers. The distribution network—the vast web of pipes from the treatment plant to the tap—is often the greater source of loss.

Material Degradation: Pipes laid in the 1950s-1970s frequently used asbestos-cement (AC) and uncoated steel. AC pipes become brittle and crack. Steel pipes corrode internally (reducing diameter) and externally (causing leaks and bursts).
Extremely High Non-Revenue Water (NRW): NRW is water that is produced but lost through leaks, bursts, theft, or metering inaccuracies before it generates revenue. In poorly maintained systems like Accra’s, NRW can exceed 50%. This means for every two liters treated, only one liter is paid for by customers. The lost liter represents wasted treatment cost and energy.
Pressure Instability: Leaks and undersized old pipes cause pressure drops, especially in hilly areas or at the ends of the network. Low pressure leads to intermittent supply (“rationing”) and allows contaminants to ingress into the pipes, compromising water quality.
Frequent Breakdowns: Major pipe bursts are common, causing flooding, property damage, and days-long outages for entire neighborhoods while repairs are made.

3. The Demand Surge: Urbanization Outpaces Planning

Greater Accra’s population has grown exponentially since the 1980s, with extensive informal settlements developing far beyond the original planned service areas. This creates a dual problem:

Increased Total Demand: More people and businesses require more water.
Costly Network Extension: Extending service to new, sprawling communities requires new pipelines, pumping stations, and storage reservoirs—infrastructure that has not been built at the necessary scale.

The result is a system where the central production is capped by old plants, a large portion of that production is lost in a decaying network, and the remaining water must serve a population many times larger than the system was designed for.

Practical Advice and Solutions: A Path Forward

Addressing this crisis requires a multi-pronged, long-term strategy focused on capital investment, technical modernization, and governance reform.

For Policymakers and GWL Management:

Conduct a Comprehensive Infrastructure Audit: Precisely map the condition, material, and remaining useful life of every major pipeline and piece of plant equipment. This data is essential for targeted investment.
Launch a Massive Pipeline Replacement Program: Prioritize replacing asbestos-cement and bare steel mains in critical corridors. This is the single most effective way to reduce NRW and improve pressure. Funding can come from a mix of government allocation, utility revenue bonds, and multilateral loans (World Bank, AfDB).
Invest in New, Scalable Treatment Capacity: Plan and build at least one new, large-scale treatment plant (e.g., at the Pra River or another viable source) with a capacity that projects 30-50 years into the future. This must be paired with new transmission mains.
Adopt Smart Water Management Technologies: Implement district metered areas (DMAs) with smart meters to monitor flows and isolate leaks. Use sensors and AI for predictive maintenance on critical equipment.
Reform Tariff Structures: Ensure water tariffs reflect the true cost of production and distribution to create a financially sustainable utility that can fund its own maintenance and expansion. This must be balanced with lifeline tariffs for low-income users.
Strengthen Regulatory Oversight: The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) must enforce performance targets for GWL, particularly on NRW reduction and service continuity.

For Urban Planners and the Government:

Integrate Water Planning with Land Use: New urban developments must be contingent on proven, funded plans for water infrastructure extension. Stop permitting housing estates without water supply guarantees.
Protect Watersheds: Enforce strict regulations on pollution and sand-winning in key river basins (Weija, Pra, Densu) to protect raw water quality, which reduces treatment complexity and cost.
Promote Decentralized Solutions: For rapidly growing peri-urban areas, support small-scale, community-managed water schemes (boreholes with proper groundwater management, small treatment units) as an interim solution until mainline extension is feasible.

For Consumers and Communities:

Report Leaks Promptly: Report visible pipe bursts and leaky public standpipes to GWL immediately.
Pay Water Bills Promptly: A financially healthy utility can invest in repairs. Non-payment perpetuates the cycle of decay.
Conserve Water: Fix household leaks, use water-efficient fixtures, and practice mindful consumption to reduce peak demand pressure on the system.
Engage in Community Monitoring: Form water committees to track supply reliability and advocate for local fixes.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: Is climate change or drought the main reason for Accra’s water shortages?

A: No. According to GWL leadership, the primary cause is infrastructural. While climate variability can affect raw water availability in reservoirs, the chronic, predictable nature of the shortages in specific urban areas points directly to the inability of the treatment and distribution system to deliver available water. The system’s losses and capacity limits are the binding constraint.

Q2: Why haven’t old plants been replaced sooner?

A: This is a failure of long-term national infrastructure planning and financing. Water infrastructure, with a lifespan of 30-50 years, requires continuous, ring-fenced capital investment for renewal. Ghana’s investment has been episodic and reactive, often tied to short-term political cycles or crisis management, rather than a sustained, 20-year master plan.