According to the water company, staff who go out to either read meters or disconnect services as mandated by law often receive threatening messages and, in some cases, are attacked by customers’ wild dogs. This disturbing situation is affecting the operations of GWCL.

Early this week, a woman in Koforidua was seen in a video assaulting a GWCL staff member who had disconnected her meter due to a debt owed to the company.

The Eastern Regional Public Relations Officer for GWCL, Kwadwo Daase, condemned the attacks and called on the Ghana Police Service to take the matter seriously and deal with those responsible to deter others.

He said, “We have received reports from some of our customers and on our staff platforms that our field workers have been chased with machetes while disconnecting services. They have also been sent threatening messages, such as ‘Prepare for your dead body’ or ‘Prepare for your coffin.’ These workers have to visit the same areas repeatedly, so it is worrying that they are being threatened. In some cases, wild dogs have been unleashed on our workers.”

Daase added, “There have been several cases where our workers have been bitten by dogs and suffered injuries. This is a serious issue that should be condemned by all stakeholders. The security agencies should take these reports seriously and ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice. We do not want a situation where a staff member is attacked and the company is forced to stop providing water to the community. We urge everyone to treat this matter with the urgency it deserves.”