{
  "id": 6599179,
  "title": "Ghana Water Limited records 49.2% non-revenue water in Q1 2026",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/10/ghana-water-limited-records-49-2-non-revenue-water-in-q1-2026",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-09-10T13:53:29.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "MyJoyOnline Ghana",
    "slug": "myjoyonline-ghana",
    "url": "https://www.myjoyonline.com/ghana-water-limited-records-49-2-non-revenue-water-in-q1-2026/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Ghana Water Limited (GWL) reported a non-revenue water (NRW) rate of 49.2% in the first quarter of 2026, surpassing the regulatory benchmark by 6.2 percentage points. NRW refers to water produced but not generating revenue due to factors like leakages, illegal connections, and metering inaccuracies.\n\nOnly three operational regions—Central, Upper West, and Brong Ahafo—met the 43% NRW benchmark, with NRW rates of 25.4%, 29.6%, and 39.4%, respectively. The regions with the highest NRW rates were Western (66.1%), Accra West (57.2%), and Tema (56.8%), all exceeding the benchmark by 14.2% to 23.1% respectively.\n\nAshanti North, Upper East, and Volta were identified as regions with smaller gaps to the benchmark, with NRW rates of 43.2%, 43.8%, and 44.1%, respectively. These regions offer immediate opportunities for targeted interventions to reduce NRW.\n\nThe PURC recommended measures such as intensified leakage detection and repairs, improved meter accuracy, stricter action against illegal connections, and enhancements in billing and customer database records. GWL's ability to convert produced water into billed sales has improved, with water production increasing by 1% to 87.88 million cubic meters and water sales rising by 3.7% to 44.68 million cubic meters. However, production remains concentrated in the Accra-Tema Metropolitan Area (ATMA), accounting for 55.48 million cubic meters.",
  "summary": "Only three of Ghana’s 13 operational regions met the regulatory benchmark for Non-Revenue Water (NRW) in the first quarter of 2026, according to the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC). The latest PURC report, “Urban Water Sector Performance at a Glance – 2026 Quarter 1,” puts Ghana Water Limited’s (GWL) national NRW at 49.2%, 6.2 percentage points above the regulatory benchmark of 43%.…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "3News",
        "title": "Ghana Water Limited records 49.2% non-revenue water in Q1 2026 - PURC",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/10/ghana-water-limited-records-49-2-non-revenue-water-in-q1-2026-purc",
        "published": "2026-09-10T14:30:37.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}