A water crisis looms in the Ashanti Region as staff of the Ghana Water Company Limited have threatened to shut down its operations by 9:00 am on Friday to protest what they call illegal encroachment on its official residential facilities at Nhyiaeso.
The 48 hour ultimatum is in connection with the demolition of the walls of two official bungalows occupied by directors of the GWCL on Friday 6th of December 2024, and a subsequent demolition of the boys quarters attached to one of the official bungalows on Tuesday December 10th, 2024.
Expressing anger with the development, the vice chairman for the Ashanti Divisional Union of Ghana Water Company Limited Emmanuel Okpoti Kobia described the actions as a disrespect to the authority of the workers and managers of the Water Company.
“We witnessed the unnecessary demolition of two Directors’ fence walls of their Bungalows and Boys quarters, which raises serious questions about the procedures and respect that should govern our operations,” he narrated.
The workers are pointing to one Rose Hamilton, a supposed owner of the Crystal Rose Hotel whom they accuse of carrying out the demolition.
He said the staff were shocked to have found a private developer return to destroy the boy’s quarters on Tuesday after they had reported the destruction of the walls to the police.
“The demolition of the fence walls to the two bungalows of our directors led the Union front to report at the police station that same Friday and subsequently on Monday at the Central District Police Station “
“We met with one of the developers called Madam Rose Hamilton. Our understanding is that she is the owner of the Crystal Rose Hotel. It was agreed that both parties should await communication from our Head Office before Madam Rose stood and left the police station.”
“How then, could she send miscreants the next day to demolish the boys’ quarters?” he asked.
Mr. Okpoti Kobia disclosed that though the regional coordinating council had communicated a decision to take over some properties of the GWCL, the regional management directed them to rather communicate to headquarters in tandem with due process.
“The management of our properties, including land leases, must be communicated solely to the Head Office,”
“Let us put on record that under no circumstances or occasion has the region received any communication from Head Office to cede the lands to the developers in question. Communication from the Regional Coordinating Council to the region was asked to be communicated to its Head Office, which they did,” he emphasized.
He expressed worry, the bungalow of one of the directors whose walls had been broken has been burgled as a result of the compromised security of his private residence.
The workers are demanding among other things that the walls and the boy’s quarters be rebuilt; every destroyed property restored and the private developers called to book and investigated.
