The Public Utility Regulatory Authority (PURC) is committed to ensuring the use of regulatory measures to coerce the Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDco) and the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) to improve upon their service delivery.
This is in line with the L. I. 24(13) that mandates the PURC to ensure utilities provide quality services to meet the demands of customers.
Also, consumers will be educated on the need to desist from illegal connections but rather honour their obligations to enable service providers effectively serve them.
The exercise, the Commission said, will also encourage customers to pay the right amount for power or water used for both domestic and commercial purposes.
In unveilling its 2023 operational agenda for the Northern Region, dubbed ‘The Big Rescue Agenda’, the Commission indicated that the increasing pace of illegal connection activities in the region is alarming – due to the unproductiveness of service providers in providing quality services to the consumers.
The awareness, according to the Commission, will ensure that post-paid meter users also get the monthly bills on time to pay their bills for water consumed.
The Executive Secretary of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission, Dr. Ishmael Ackah who made the appeal in an interview with the B&FT, noted that the ability of consumers to access clean water and stable power impacts their livelihoods.
“Lack of potable water and stable power contributes to the consumers’ failure to honour their obligation, hence the need for the actions taken to save both service providers and consumers,” he said.
He appealed to customers of NEDco and the GWCL in the Region to desist from illegal activities affecting the production and revenue of the utility companies.
A regular routine inspection and complaints from NEDco revealed that a majority of residents – including Small and Medium Enterprises and industries – have been engaging in illegal activities for their profit-making businesses.
The Northern Regional Manager for PURC, Edward Boduah, said the Commission will meet with stakeholders to educate them on the importance of power and water usage – and the need to encourage their members and staff to honouor their obligations of bills payment and desisting from illegal connections.
