22/04/2022
JUSTIFICATION ON WHY SALWACO SHOULD NOT INCREASE TARIFF.
A PRESENTATION BY:KENEMA PURE WATER PRODUCERS UNION.
THE ESTABLISHMENT OF SALWACO – WHY?
Efforts by government to provide water to provincial towns through Degremond/Water Aid in the past were worn out/destroyed.The Sierra Leone Water Company (SALWACO) was established in 2017 with mandate of providing portable water supply services to six (6) provincial towns in the country.
Under the SALWACO Act 2017, the mandate was extended to provide water and sanitation services to four regions of the country namely: North, North-West, East and South which accounts for an estimate number of 5.6 million people (representing 80% of the country’s population according to the 2015 census).The company currently provides piped water supply services to a total of 12 towns namely:
Bo, Kenema, Makeni, Lungi, Kambia, Lunsar, Magburaka, Mile 91/Yonibana, Port Loko, Kabala, Pujehun and Kailahun.
Vision:To be the leading water utility in West AfricaMission:To provide reliable and affordable quality water supply and sanitation services in a cost-effective, environmentally sustainable and customer-friendly manner
THE EMERGENCE OF WATER PURIFICATION COMPANIES.
The establishment of Guma Valley Water Company and SALWACO has contributed to improving access to portable water in the communities targeted. However, many more inhabitants of the country, particularly those living in remote rural communities still find it difficult to access clean water.
Water-borne diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea and typhoid continued to affect the populace.
Therefore, Water Purification Companies emerged to complement the efforts of both the Guma Valley Water Company and the Sierra Leone Water Company in order to assist government in providing safe, affordable and quality drinking water to the people and to eradicate water-borne diseases.
Majority of the Water Purification Companies make use of the water supplied by both Guma Valley Water Company and SALWACO by making use of further purification equipment in order to provide quality, affordable and safe drinking water to the people.
The Water Purification Companies work in close collaboration with the water utility companies (Guma Valley and SALWACO) to improve access to and provide quality and affordable drinking water to the people of Sierra Leone. This lends credence to the fact such important objectives should not be undermined particularly when the cost of living is very high and the standard of living of the people is very low.
In a letter dated on 29th March 2022, the Kenema Pure Water Producers Union wrote a letter to EWRC appealing for a review of tariff preferably for reduction and not an increase.We are aware that the Guma Valley Water Company in Freetown/Western Area has a system of billing pure water producers that is business-friendly and the Pure Water Producers in Kenema admire such a method with keen interest.
JUSTIFICATION – WHY SALWACO SHOULD NOT INCREASE TARIFF NOW.
The current state of the country’s economy is not conducive to improved standard of living. The people are already overburdened with hike in the prices of goods. Therefore, should SALWACO increase tariff now, it is untimely and it will further add insult to injury. Increasing tariff also undermines the affordability objective of SALWACO.
Should there be an increase in the tariff charged by SALWACO, there may be a corresponding increase in the prices charged by Water Purification Companies per bundle of water. This may give room to consumers to resort to drinking water from unprotected sources. Tariff increase will also undermine the efforts of the government in eradicating water-borne diseases. The high cost of accessing safe drinking water may lead them to substitute quality water with unsafe drinking water thereby making them susceptible to water-borne diseases.
Government of Sierra Leone has the responsibility of providing quality and affordable utility services to the people of Sierra Leone. SALWACO, being a quasi-government utility institution must be seen working tirelessly to provide such an essential commodity like water in order to alleviate the economic burdens on the people rather than working on the profit motive at a crucial time like this.
Problems associated with water crisis still abound in spite of efforts by government and its partners to make clean water available and accessible to the people.Water Purification Companies have not been protected from the rapid rate of increase in the prices of production materials such as inner and outer plastic, filter cups, water pumps, cutting rubber, tread flow and fuel. As a result, they increased prices slightly in order to augment for the high cost of production.
With the recent intervention of the Ministry of Trade, the Kenema Pure Water Producers Union reduced the price of a bundle of sachet water from Le. 6,000 to Le. 5,000 even against the wishes of some of its members. We reduced price even when production material costs are very high and we expect SALWACO to do likewise instead of increasing tariff. The Kenema Pure Water Producers are currently selling sachet water at the lowest price compared to other regions. Please reduce tariff! Don’t increase it!
We are kindly appealing to SALWACO through EWRC to reduce tariff instead of increasing it. This will create an enabling environment for Pure Water Companies to operate in a very efficient an effective manner while addressing the pure drinking water needs of Sierra Leoneans.
THANK YOU
Submitted by Mohamed. Daramy
Secretary General
Kenema pure water producers union.
