Minister gets tough on shoddy jobs

Page 24: Daily Graphic, March 25, 2010.
Story: Albert K. Salia
ALL contractors, engineers and consultants who undertake, certify and get paid for shoddy jobs at the expense of the taxpayer are to be blacklisted by the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing.
The move has become necessary following the realisation that some firms undertake projects but those projects become non-functional after they have been inaugurated.
The sector minister, Mr Alban Bagbin, told the Daily Graphic in Accra yesterday that the ministry was revisiting the possibility of enforcing technical standards in development projects as part of efforts to reduce, if not eliminate, shoddy jobs by contractors and engineers.
He noted that some firms undertook shoddy jobs but got certified and paid for non-operational systems.
He cited the last major works on the Weija pumping station, which was inaugurated in November 2008 but had remained non-functional ever since it was constructed.
Mr Bagbin said the situation had contributed immensely to the water problem facing residents in the Accra and Tema metropolitan areas and indicated that those blacklisted would never be awarded government contracts again.
He noted that although 1,920 cubic millimetres of water was needed for daily urban water supply in 2010, only 634.740 cubic millimetres was produced, leaving a shortfall of 1,285.260 millimetres for managers of the country’s urban water systems to manage.
He said the ministry had outlined a short to medium and long-term strategy to address the water needs of Ghanaians.
In the short-term, the ministry was seeking to address the challenges of sources of water supply, the production, distribution, uses and sustainability of water.
Mr Bagbin said a major challenge to address seriously was that of training the personnel and making them to be disciplined and responsive, passionate and committed to their duties.
“We have a critical number of experienced and knowledgeable personnel but it is important to inspire them to be disciplined and productive,” he said.
He said the short-term objectives also called for more vigilance and protection of the distribution networks to avoid vandalism and tampering of water facilities.
That, he said, would also mean meeting some key users such as hospitals, educational institutions and industries to solicit their assistance in the rationalisation and control of water usage.
Mr Bagbin said the essence of the short-term programme was to reduce the percentage of unaccountable water to liberate the systems to ensure equitable distribution.
He said the percentage of unaccountable water had been put at more than 50 per cent but was quick to add that that amount included water supplied freely to government facilities.
He said that would also call for extensive metering of both government and private sector players to determine the quantum of free water being given out.
In the medium-term, he said, the ministry was seeking to replace all pieces of obsolete equipment and concentrate on the maintenance of the rest to make them functional.
He said the ministry had instituted a buffer zone programme under which people would be encouraged to plant economic trees along the banks of water basins.
Mr Bagbin said the programme was in place at Bawku and indicated that an impact assessment of the programme would soon be done so that it would be replicated in all other areas.
He said there was also a programme to get the youth involved in all activities of the Water Resources Commission so as to catch them young to appreciate the importance of protecting, conserving and managing the country’s water resources.
He said the Water Resources Commission had taken delivery of kits to help individuals along water bodies and water systems to measure the pollution levels of those water bodies so as to help them appreciate the effects of activities on the water sources and their attendant health hazards to the populace.
Mr Bagbin said a heavy dose of investment was required in the long term to address the production and distribution chain but that, he indicated, required a better management system to convince investors to pump money into the sector.
He said the ministry would, therefore, provide leadership to implement good programmes to win the confidence of all stakeholders.