The Akufo Addo administration has announced the extension of its free water package to consumers, in what the government claims is a relief package for the distress caused by the COVID-19 outbreak in Ghana.
The extension will last till the end of the year, in what critics sense as a subtle political campaign gimmick by the governing party which is headed for a high-stake elections against its arch-rival, the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
The letter announcing the extension of free water was signed by Cecilia Abena-Dapaah, the Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources.
According to the letter, the extension was done “to enable Ghanaian consumers with the protocols especially the washing of hands under running water, to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Following the first case of COVID-19 outbreak in Ghana mid-March 2020, President Akufo Addo announced that his government will absorb the water bill of all Ghanaians from April to June 2020. However, after June, the government extended the freebie further.
However, consumers have complained that since the supposed free water supply, Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) had suddenly started rationing water.
The latest announcement of interruption in water supply was announced about a week ago, when the GWCL announced that parts of Accra will face rationing.