The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) has announced it shall start the deployment of smart meters that will allow meters to be read without entering customers’ premises.
It is also in the process of implementing a telemetry system of its water network to allow for remote direction of faults, bursts and water quality in real time.
Managing Director of GWCL, Ing. Dr Clifford A. Braimah, who made these known, added that the company has begun an online new service connection system that will allow any prospective customer to apply for water connection through the convenience of their computers or mobile phones.
In effect to the new connection system, he mentioned that a pilot version of the GWCL customer app is currently available on Google app store or Apple app store.
Ing Braimah was speaking at the launch of the company’s paperless regime, which includes E-billing, E-payment platforms, and customer app.
He stated that beyond GWCL’s traditional pay points, it has added most of the commercial banks to its digital payment ecosystem, and in the process of integrating all 140 rural banks to allow for easy payment by all customers wherever they may be in Ghana. “GWCL is at a critical point in time where business as usual that will prevent successful adoption of new technologies will end. “We will no longer move at a pace that will result in the technology gap because of the high price of climbing steep adaptation curve,” he stressed.
According to him, with the launch, the time it took to visit customers’ premises, read their meters to ascertain their consumption, print their bills and deliver them will drastically reduce, as well as afford customers the opportunity to pay their bills even in the comfort of their homes.
In all these, he noted that revenue generation and collection will greatly be enhanced.
In his keynote address, the Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, Joseph Kofi Adda, expressed his excitement at the decision of GWCL to go paperless since it is in line with the vision of President Nana Akufo-Addo to improve and strengthen state institutions.
He remarked that GWCL is the second institution of the state to switch into the paperless gear, and anticipated the products launched will minimize the incentive for staff to engage in corrupt practices, if not eliminating it completely.
The Minister advised the customers of GWCL not to connive nor condone corruption with field staff of GWCL.
Adda lamented that one of the challenges facing public institution is the implementation of policies and leadership, and while he commended management for the work done with the technological innovation, he cautioned them not to fail.
The GWCL, according to him, is owed to the tune of GH₵8.5m, with 42% of the amount from domestic customers and the 58% from Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies, but he was of the belief that those who are not forthcoming with their bills are doing so not because they cannot afford but because the current system may not be convenient for them.
He, therefore, urged customers that this new system is convenient enough to enable them pay bills promptly to enable GWCL serve Ghanaians better.
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