Adhere To Akufo-Addo's Free Water Directive — CWSA Tells Small Towns Water Vendors

The Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) has advised the Agency’s Regional Directors and Water System Management Staff on the implementation of the directive in the CWSA to manage pipe water systems in small towns.

In a press statement, the chief executive Ing. Warlanyo Kwadjo Siabi instructed the Water and Sanitation Management Teams (WSMTs) who are managing the rest of the Small Town Piped Systems in the country as well as all NGOs providing water in the Rural Water and Sanitation Sector to observe the directive issued by the President.

According to him, to ensure that the Covid-19 prevention protocols are duly adhered to by community members at the public standpipes, water vendors working with the Water and Sanitation Management Teams (WSMTs) and NGOs should observe the following:

• Vendors should continue to use normal opening hours for the provision of free water.
• Water vendors should serve one customer at a time and ensure the observance of social distancing protocols.
• Where consumers fail to observe the social distancing protocols and mass up at the standpipe, 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 standpipes because the filling of such big receptacles by one person has the potential of stirring controversy.

Ing. Worlanyo Kwadjo Siabo further directed all WSMTs and NGOs to liaise with their District Chief Executives and CWSA Regional Directors to discuss operational issues pertaining to the Presidential directive on free water for 3months.

Read full statement below:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CWSA ADVISES WATER AND SANITATION MANAGEMENT TEAMS (WSMTs) AND COALITION OF NGOs IN WATER AND SANITATION ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF PRESIDENTIAL DIRECTIVE FOR PROVISION OF FREE WATER TO GHANAIANS.

ISSUED IN ACCRA APRIL 10, 2020.

Further to the Presidential directive on the 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 Kwadj 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. A greater number of the Small Towns Piped Water Systems however, are currently being managed by the Water and Sanitation Management Teams (WSMTs) at the community level under the supervision of the District Assemblies.

As a follow up to the Media Statement issued yesterday, the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) will also like to advise the Water and Sanitation Management Teams (WSMTs) who are managing the rest of the Small Towns Piped Systems in country as well as all NGOs providing water in the Rural Water and Sanitation Sub-Sector to observe the directives issued by the President, H. E. Nana Akufo Addo and to provide free water to all communities under their service. The WSMTs and NGOs are also to comply with the instructions issued by the Minister of

Sanitation and Water Resources, Hon. Cecilia Abena Dapaah during the Ministry’s Press Conference in the provision of free water to the citizens of Ghana.

To ensure that the Covid-19 prevention protocols are duly adhered to by community members at the public standpipes, the CWSA directs that water vendors working with the WSMTs and NGOs should observe the following:

• Vendors should continue to use normal opening hours for the provision of free water.
• 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. This is because 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.

All WSMTs should liaise with their District Chief Executives and CWSA Regional Directors to discuss operational issues pertaining to the presidential directive. Similarly, all NGOs providing water in the sector are to contact the CWSA Regional Directors to discuss any operational issues that may arise in connection with the implementation of the presidential directive.

End.

ING. WORLANYO KWADJO SIABI

CHIEF EXECUTIVE

Contact Person

Pauline Tambro

Chief Public Relations Manager

Tel. 0244369956

Email. [email protected]