WATER PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION THE ROLE OF WATER

WATER PRODUCTION AND DISTRIBUTION - THE ROLE OF WATER QUALITY ASSURANCE AND TESTING BY MARGARET MACAULEY CM-WQA 31 st March, 2017

GOALS OF GHANA WATER COMPANY LTD Ø To produce and supply the Ghanaian consumer with water that is free from visible suspended matter, colour, turbidity, taste, odour and also free from disease causing organisms. It should not contain any substances that are injurious to health and should not be corrosive. ØTo ensure that treated water from the treatment plants conform to the Ghana Drinking Water Quality Standards. This means that the water must be clean, safe, wholesome and non-corrosive and should remain in this condition throughout the distribution system to its final destination – the consumer’s tap. .

WATER QUALITY ASSURANCE (WQA) DEPARTMENT Ø CORE VALUES üProfessionalism, üInnovation, üSafety üCommitment Ø MOTTO : “Quantity and price are negotiable but quality and safety are not”

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF WQA DEPARTMENT ØWATER POLLUTION MANAGEMENT üCollaboration with Water Resources Commission and other stakeholders in pollution control and management ØRAW WATER QUALITY MONITORING ü Raw water monitoring to determine treatability and health effect levels ØWATER TREATMENT CHEMICALS MANAGEMENT üProgramming for re-ordering treatment chemicals to ensure adequate quantities üSupervision and monitoring of Chemical usage at headworks to reduce wastage. üMonitoring and managing stock at Regional and Central Stores.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF WQA DEPARTMENT ØWATER TREATMENT AND QUALITY CONTROL üEffective operation of unit processes at the treatment plants üJudicious and cost effective application of chemicals üElimination of health effects ØDISTRIBUTION WATER QUALITY SURVEILLANCE AND CONTROL üEnsuring the cleaning of treatment plant water retaining structures and service reservoirs üEnsuring the flushing and care of distribution system üAssuring quality through sampling and analysis of distribution system

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF WQA DEPARTMENT ØRESEARCH AND BENCH SCALE TESTS üTesting of all treatment chemicals for efficacy and suitability üRunning of bench scale and piloting for new treatment Chemicals, eg. Polyelectrolytes ØMONITORING PLANT DOSING EQUIPMENT üCalibration and monitoring efficiency of all dozers (wet and dry) üEnsuring the installation and function of those yet to be installed. Ø. REGULATORY AND TARGETS COMPLIANCE üEnsuring achievement of targets viz bacteriology, turbidity, p. H, Colour and Residual Chlorine.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF WQA DEPARTMENT ØPLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT üRole in the construction of new treatment plants and rehabilitation of old ones ØLABORATORY EQUIPMENT, ANALYTICAL CHEMICALS AND REAGENTS üIndenting for supply of laboratory equipment (replacements) üIndenting for analytical chemicals/Laboratory reagents to replenish stocks ØWATER QUALITY DATA MANAGEMNET üCompilation, storage, accessibility, and management of water quality data üEnsuring proper data processing and management reporting for all regions and units.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF WQA DEPARTMENT ØWATER SAFETY PLAN IMPLEMENTATION üIdentifying priority areas to invest for improvement in operations to ensure water safety ØSTAFFING AND TRAINING üEnsuring adequate personnel in regions üProgramming and planning training for water quality and treatment personnel (Operators and Technicians)

Quality Assurance - Treatment Plants and Distribution Systems ØThe production processes are monitored on hourly basis at the treatment plant to ensure that the final water meets the Ghana Drinking Water Standards ØSamples are also collected analyzed from the distribution system on daily basis Ø Example: Greater Accra has 22 districts. Ø 30 water samples taken per district per month. ØTotal of Six Hundred and Sixty (660) water samples per month. Followed by lab. Analysis and information sharing ØCompliance is 98 -100% for safety parameters 9

Other Quality Assurance interventions ØSanitary surveys and education at consumers’ premises ØWater sample taking at consumers' premises Ø Boosting of chlorine residual in the distribution systems, Ø Regular cleaning of buffer reservoirs and GWCL's water tankers. ØCollaboration – WQA Department, the Call Center and the Distribution to ensure that consumer complaints are attended to and recommendations from the Quality Assurance Department are addressed. 10

SWOT ANALYSIS: STATUS OF WQA DEPARTMENT STRENGTHS • one of the key operational departments in the company WEAKNESSES OPPORTUNITIES THREATS • poor laboratory set- • Readiness of staff to • low awareness of ups rise up to challenges the relevance of • some weak and water quality and obsolete laboratory health equipment • highly motivated • availability of staff • poor customer • low ICT application trained/professional attitude in laboratories human resources • high customer • frequent pipe-bursts • lack of timely alertness on WQ replacement of • availability of nine • frequent staff exit equipment (9) regional (crossing to other laboratories (evenly • lack of some • ready support from departments consumables in distributed) Management and laboratories • Delays in procurement sister departments of treatment chemicals • availability of plant • Lack of adequate training for staff and lab reagents laboratories • Qualified staffing

SWOT ANALYSIS STRENGTHS • availability of some vehicles for assignments • -availability of treatment chemicals • -availability of some important laboratory equipment. • -availability of some reagents for testing • -availability of built capacity in Water Safety Plans (WSPs WEAKNESSES OPPORTUNITIES THREATS • lack of commitment • extensive capacity in • Non-adherence to from some staff water testing available advice from WQAD • Weak distribution • -low morale of some system • Water quality is key to staff in department • poor laboratory the attainment of the infrastructure on some SDGs plants • very limited Standard • Water quality is Operating Procedures beginning to receive (SOPs) on plants attention nationally • lack of capacity in filter management • over-aged vehicles for sampling jobs • unstable power supply

GWCL INTERNAL DRINKING WATER QUALITY MONITORING TARGETS( KEY INDICATORS) No 1 2 PLANT 3 4 5 SAMPLING TARGET REGION PLANT SAMPLING DSTRICT SAMPLING UNIT NO NO TURBIDITY COLOUR p. H NTU HU 6 RESIDUAL CL 2 mg/L 7 BACTERIOLOGICAL CFU/ML DITRIBUTION 8 TURBIDITY *** 9 10 COLOUR p. H 11 RESIDUAL CL 2 12 BACTERIOLOGICAL 13 ODOUR & TASTE *(inclusive ) ** at furthest end NTU ATMA 540 1, 560 ASH PROD. 540 - ASH NORTH 300 ≤ 2 ≤ 5 7. 0 -8. 5 *(incl) 0. 5 -1 *(incl) 100% -ve ASH SOUTH 300 CR WR ER NR BA VR UER UWR 540 510 540 570 360 200 450 540 270 240 270 140 90 90 ≤ 2 ≤ 5 7. 0 -8. 5 *(incl) 0. 5 -1 (*incl) 100% -ve ≤ 2 ≤ 5 7. 0 -8. 5 *(incl) 0. 5 -1 *(incl) 100%-ve ≤ 2 ≤ 5 7. 0 -8. 5 *(incl) 0. 5 -1 (*incl) 100%-ve ≤ 2 ≤ 2 ≤ 5 ≤ 5 7. 0 -8. 5 *(incl) 0. 5 -1 *(incl) 100%-ve 95% 95% 95% ≤ 2 ≤ 2 ≤ 2 HU ≤ 5 ≤ 5 ≤ 5 95% 95% 95% >7. 0 >7. 0 mg/L ≥ 0. 1 ≥ 0. 1 (**) (**) (**) CFU 95% 95% 95% /ML -ve -ve -ve UNOFFE UNOFFEN UNOFFE UNOFFENSI UNOFFE NSIVE SIVE NSIVE NSIVE VE NSIVE

Water Quality Parameters Monitored by GWCL PHYSICOCHEMICAL PARAMETERS No Parameter 1 p. H 11 Iron 21 Zinc 2 Colour 12 Manganese 22 Lead 3 Turbidity 13 Fluoride 23 Copper 4 Residual Chlorine 14 Nitrate 24 Arsenic 5 Conductivity 15 Phosphate 25 Pesticides 6 Hardness 16 Nitrite 7 Chloride 17 Ammonia 8 Total Dissolved Solid 18 Cadmium 9 Sulphate 19 Chromium 10 Aluminium 20 Mercury

Water Quality Parameters Monitored by GWCL BACTERIOLOGICAL No 1 2 3 Parameter Total Bacteria count Total Coliform E. Coli

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