The Ghana Water Limited (GWL) has announced a major, 48-hour complete shutdown of the Barekese Water Treatment Plant. Effective from Tuesday, June 9, to Thursday, June 11, 2026, the disruption is expected to plunge the Kumasi Metropolis into a severe water crisis.
During shutdowns, neighbourhoods across the Greater Kumasi Metropolis including Asawase, Asokwa, Bantama, Kwadaso, Manhyia, Nhyiaeso, Oforikrom, Subin, Suame and Tafo typically experience disruptions, according to the GWL.
The Barekese Water Treatment Plant is the main source of potable water for the Kumasi Metropolitan Area in the Ashanti Region of Ghana, supplying approximately 80% of the city’s drinking water.
The plant treats and supplies approximately 30 million gallons of water daily, about 80 percent of the pipe-borne water consumed in Greater Kumasi and serves about 2.6 million people.
A statement released by the management of GWL on Friday, June 5, 2026, indicated that a team of specialised senior engineers and technical crew will be deployed to carry out emergency, high-precision repair works on the primary transmission pipeline at the Barekese headworks where the vital artery has reportedly developed structural weaknesses that require immediate intervention.
The proposed essential pipeline repairs and maintenance are to protect transmission integrity.
As a result of the intensive engineering exercise, Ghana Water Limited has disclosed that the treatment plant’s pumps will be completely turned off from 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday, June 9, and will remain shut down until 6:00 a.m. on Thursday, June 11, 2026.
The shutdown will completely cut off the daily supply of millions of gallons of potable water to domestic consumers, commercial businesses, industrial zones, and essential public institutions across the regional capital.
The GWL Corporate Communications outfit explained that the drastic maintenance exercise has become unavoidable to prevent a catastrophic failure of the regional water distribution network, which would have more devastating long-term consequences for the socio-economic life of the Ashanti Region.
“The repair works are critical to safeguard the integrity of the transmission pipeline and ensure its continuous and reliable operation,” the statement signed by Mr. Ebenezer Padi Narh, Public Relations & Communications Officer, GWL – Ashanti said.
The GWL urged all residents, estate managers, and business operators within Kumasi and adjoining communities to begin harvesting and storing massive quantities of water ahead of the Tuesday deadline to minimize the domestic impact of the disruption.
The water company expressed deep regret for any severe inconvenience the maintenance works will inevitably cause to its cherished consumer base. The management, however, gave a firm assurance that normal water production and high-pressure distribution will resume immediately after the engineering teams complete the pipeline repairs.
For more news, join The Chronicle Newspaper channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBSs55E50UqNPvSOm2z
