Ghana Water has reported that its water production in the Ashanti region fell by nearly 959,000 cubic meters in March 2026 due to recent power fluctuations and the shallowness of the region’s water treatment plants.
Although the treatment plants are designed to operate 24 hours daily, they are currently running only 14 hours, resulting in a 30 percent drop in production levels.
The power situation is constraining the company’s ability to meet the growing water demands of the population.
The Barekese Treatment Plant, with a capacity to store 36 million cubic meters of water and produce over 30 million gallons daily, has been heavily affected by recent power cuts. The facility is currently operating at only 16 percent of its full capacity, with production volumes reduced by 30 percent.
Chief Manager for Ashanti Production, Dr. Hanson Mensah-Akutteh, explained that the treatment plant is struggling to meet daily demand.
“The situation is seriously impacting our production volumes. This is not enough to supply our customers in town, because the demand is high. If the volume isn’t there, we can’t meet the actual production volume the customers need,” he said.
During a working visit to the Barekese and Owabi Treatment Plants, Managing Director Adam Mutawakilu highlighted the effects of power fluctuations on water production, noting that the shallow nature of the dam has also contributed to the shortfall.
“As a result of power fluctuations and the shallow nature of the dam, last month we couldn’t meet our targets. We were short of almost 959,000 cubic meters of water. That is huge, and it is denying some people access to water,” he said.
Mr. Mutawakilu added that Ghana Water is working with the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) to improve power supply, including the installation of a dedicated transformer and upgrading to an 11kV substation to boost the facility’s operational capacity.
“ECG has indicated their willingness to dedicate a transformer to us. It is therefore critical that we work towards getting that,” he added.
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