How Ghana’s Water Utility Digitally Transformed Water Service Applications with Geospatial Technology

In the past, delivering clean and reliable water to Ghana’s urban populace often involved time-consuming and inefficient in-person trips to verify locations for installing new service connections. That’s because the nation lacked a fully functioning address system. In some cases, the staff of Ghana Water Limited (GWL), serving more than 947,000 connections, even asked applicants to give their inspectors rides to site locations when directions didn’t suffice.

While GWL had used geographic information system (GIS) technology before for asset management and pipe networks, the utility lacked geospatial information showing the distance for new service connections and wanted the ability to map a pipe route in advance. They also wanted to make it easier for personnel in the field to find customer locations for site visits and map water meters, as well as for staff to automate the generation of account numbers.

Now, a digital transformation inside Ghana’s sole water utility is beginning to improve the application process for new service connections. In 2022, GWL and Esri partner Tensing GIS Consulting BV collaborated to create and implement a GIS solution using ArcGIS technology. This solution addressed the daily operational challenges associated with the new service application process.

David Nii Okai Nunoo, GIS and hydraulic modelling manager at GWL said that despite a reliable address system, the utility’s location-based data is easing workflows by accounting for where customers are located. “We now have customer locations as points mapped and can easily query the system to know where to find which customer,” he said.

Applicants requesting a new water service connection visit a district GWL office and complete a paper form with their name, contact details, and property address. The form also has sections to specify the purpose of the service, the building type, and the number of occupants.

How New Water Connections Have Been Made in Ghana

The process to install a new water service typically begins with a customer applying at one of the GWL district offices, which involves filling out paper forms with personal information, property details, and the purpose of the connection. Once the form is completed and submitted, that district office assigns a GWL field staff member to conduct a site visit.

“Site visits were one of our challenges because of the absence of a functional addressing system to locate people or parties,” said Nunoo, adding that GWL staff in the past would call and ask customers for directions or a ride to the site.

Upon arriving at the site, GWL field staff first investigate the proximity of the water mains where a connection may be tapped from. Next, they are required to determine the distance between the proposed meter location to the tapping point on the nearest identified mains. In the past, this process used paper-based documentation and relied on employees who knew the area to gather the information. Now, field staff have access to digital maps showing the pipe network on their mobile devices, which helps to simplify the process. During this visit, field staff also coordinate with the meter reader responsible for the area to ensure the customer’s location is correct for subsequent monthly billing.

The information gathered by the district at this stage is used to generate a cost estimate for the materials to make the connection. Once the region approves this estimate, it is communicated to the customer. Afterwards, it is the customer’s responsibility to make the payment to finalize the application. Upon payment, a field staff member would then be notified to carry out the connection; this involves laying a line from the mains to the installed meter location at the customer’s premises. Finally, a customer account number was manually generated and assigned to the new connection.

Manual aspects of these processes often led to inefficiencies and frustration for both employees and customers. Implementing a more efficient and location-based solution was crucial to benefit everyone involved.