Residents of Community 25 in Tema, are raising serious concerns over a worsening water crisis that has plagued the area for more than five months.
The unrelenting shortage, has forced households to depend heavily on costly water tankers, with growing frustrations over the lack of accountability and fears of possible mismanagement — or even sabotage.
The situation, has become so severe that even water tanker operators — previously a lifeline — are now struggling to access water from their usual loading stations. “Today, even the tanker supplier says the place where they usually load water is no longer flowing. Is it sabotage?” a concerned resident queried on Monday, April 14, 2025.
The hardship has been compounded by a lack of basic sanitation services. According to residents, Zoomlion workers responsible for waste collection, have not been seen in the area for nearly two months.
In their absence, community members are compelled to hire tricycles to dispose off their rubbish, all while still receiving monthly bills for services not rendered.
“We’ve had no running water for three months now,” a resident complained. “We’re buying water from tankers, hiring people to collect our rubbish, and still being billed every month. It’s completely unfair.”
Several residents, report calling the Ghana Water Company’s helpline repeatedly to no avail. “It’s gotten to the point where they just stop answering the calls,” one resident said. “It’s as if they’ve completely given up on us.”
Speculation is also growing about the diversion of the area’s water supply to large private companies. Some residents allege, though not yet confirmed, that a significant portion of Community 25’s water may be redirected to Bel-Aqua, a major producer of bottled water and beverages.
“I didn’t want to say anything until I had confirmation, but I’ve heard most of our water is going to Bel-Aqua,” one resident shared. “This happened in East Legon a few years ago when Coca-Cola was said to be consuming the bulk of their supply. It took a public outcry before anything was done.”
Residents are calling for a thorough investigation into the source and distribution of water, especially to large commercial entities, in light of the severe shortages faced by households.
Others note a disturbing trend: under previous administrations, calling the water office would occasionally prompt a short-term resumption of water supply—sometimes for two days, sometimes a week. But this, they say, has since stopped altogether, forcing many to resort to alternative solutions like boreholes, which often yield excessively salty water.
“It’s not easy at all,” said another resident. “Depending on your family size, you might end up spending between GH₵600 and GH₵800 per tanker, and sometimes twice a month. It’s becoming unsustainable.”
The community has reached a tipping point and is demanding urgent intervention from local and national authorities, especially the Ghana Water Company led by Adam Mutawakilu as the Acting Managing Director.
With growing suspicion that GWCL officials are working with water tanker owners and bottled water companies in the country and frustration in the air, many believe the time for quiet endurance has long passed for the government to do something meaningful.
“This cycle must end,” a local leader stated. “We’re not asking for favours — just the basic services we pay for every month.”