Individuals have begun to raise concerns about what Ghana’s proposed pre-paid water metering system could mean for the poor.

The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL), strongly backed by the Ministry of WaterResources, Works and Housing, plans to introduce a prepaid water metering system by the end of the year.

Consumers will have to load money to credit meters using smart cards. Water meters will cut off water supply when the credit ends and the valve will only reopen once more credit has been loaded.

However, the chairperson of the Coalition of NGOs in Water and Sanitation, Farouk Braimah, says the introduction of prepaid water meters will deprive poor and vulnerable Ghanians of water.“Our own Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, Philippines are all practising prepaid metering system, they started it and the consequences were dire. In fact for South Africa we realised that when the prepaid meters were introduced, issues around diarrhoea and cholera increased,” he says.

New Patriotic Party (NPP) MP for the Ablekuma North Constituency in the Greater Accra Region, Hon. Justice Joe Appiah says the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission and GWCL want the demise of all Ghanaians if they go ahead with pre-paid water meters. Members of the United Cadres Front (UCF) of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) have also advised government to stop the introduction of the prepaid water meters.

According to the Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing, Collins Dauda, prepaid meters have become necessary because of the wilful non-payment of bills by several large-scale water users.

However, Ghana’s National Water Policy, June 2007, published in 2008 recognises the importance of meeting the social needs for water as well as ensures participatory decision-making. The policy is guided by the principle of the fundamental rights of all people without discrimination to safe and adequate water to meet basic human needs.