Water - steps to getting it through the pipes?

We've not had water flowing through our mains pipes for more than a year - due to construction of large pipelines from Weija in the west of Accra to the east of Accra. We saw the big pipes being put into the group - and in fact our road was blocked for a week. Then there were some technicians who did something like connecting smaller pipes to it, and then the road was covered, and ... and ... no water...

Except in the last couple of weeks there would be mornings when the road outside the house (not paved) would be covered in a large pool of water, which every single vehicle would try to avoid - not with much success I must add.

And then we heard that people from the water company were able to connect houses/compounds to the mains supply for a specified sum... We waited. And eventually someone in an official uniform showed up, named the amount, but when asked about an official receipt, the impression was given that there wouldn't be one.

D and others have been to the local district office of the water company to see if we can be reconnected officially. I dredged up some old bills - feeling rather guilty that I hadn't paid anything since September 2008. Not to worry: we were actually in credit! and officials even said they were impressed that we paid on account so regularly.

But have we been connected yet? Noooo... not yet.

The saga continues, and we will buy another tanker load of water at the weekend. Sigh.