| Peer-Reviewed

Water is Life: Situation Analysis of Access to Household Water Supply in the Wa Municipality, Ghana

Received: 21 January 2015     Accepted: 29 January 2015     Published: 15 February 2015
Views:       Downloads:
Abstract

Far too many people in urban Ghana live without access to safe drinking water and this is a primary determinant of continuing poverty. Using questionnaire survey and key informant interviews, this study explored the situation of households’ access to potable water supply in the Wa Municipality, a low-income urban area in north-west Ghana. This study highlights several important issues on access to water supply focusing on availability, accessibility and cost. A clustered sample of residential areas of the municipality was employed and the study was able to examine spatial disparities in access to water supply. The results indicate that access to potable water supply in the municipality is generally high as only 13 percent of households depend on open wells as their main source. Also, the private sector (individuals and non-governmental organizations) are major players in public water supply in the municipality. In spite of the progress made in access to potable water supply, distance and cost of water remain serious challenges confronting households. The study recognizes that private individuals create additional water facilities to augment public supplies, but the positive impacts on health and livelihoods could be greater if access to finance could be facilitated. Most importantly, water supply improvement strategies should incorporate an integrated vision, which sees adequate and quality water both as a goal in itself and as a contributor to economic and social development through gains in public health.

Published in International Journal of Environmental Protection and Policy (Volume 3, Issue 1)
DOI 10.11648/j.ijepp.20150301.11
Page(s) 1-13
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2015. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Accessibility, Health, Households, Urbanization and Water Supply

References
[1] Cairncross, A. M. (1990). Health impacts in developing countries: new evidence and new prospects. J. Inst. Water Envt. Mgt. 4(6):571-592.
[2] Esrey, S. A., Feachem, R. G., Hughes, J. M. (1985). Interventions for the control of diarrhoeal diseases among young children: improving water supplies and excreta disposal facilities. Bul. Wld. Hth. Org. 63(4):757-772.
[3] Esrey, S. A., Potash, J. B., Roberts L., Shiff, C. (1991). Effects of improved water supply and sanitation on ascariasis, diarrhoea, dracunculiasis, hookworm infection, schistosomiasis, and trachoma. Bul. Wld. Hth. Org. 69(5):609-621.
[4] Sorenson, B. S., Morssink, C., Campos, A. P. (2011). Safe access to safe water in low income countries: water fetching in current times. Soc. Sci. Med. 72:1522-1526.
[5] Howard, G., Bartram, J. (2003). Domestic Water Quantity, Service Level and Health. New York: World Health Organization.
[6] United Nations (2003). The 1st UN World Water Development Report: Water for People, Water for Life. Retrieved on 16 August 2014. Available: http://www.unesco.org/water/wwap/wwdr/index.shtml
[7] Nickson, A. (2002). The role of the non-state sector in urban water supply. In Paper for the Making Services Work for Poor People. World Development Report (WDR) 2003/04 Workshop, 4–5 November in Oxford.
[8] Mwanza, D. (2004). African Public Utilities not Performing Efficiently. Paper presented at the 12th Union for African Water Suppliers Congress, 16–19 February, 2004 in Accra, Ghana.
[9] Panayotou, T. (1997). The role of the private sector in sustainable infrastructure development. In: Gomez-Echeverri, L. (ed.), Bridges to Sustainability: Business and Government Working Together for a Better Environment. Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies Bulletin Series 101. Yale University, New Haven, pp 54-72.
[10] Schwartz, K. H., Schouken, M. (2007). Water as a political good: revisiting the relationship between politics and service provision. Water Pol. 9(2):119-129.
[11] Biswas, K. A. (2006). Water management for major urban centres. Water Res. Devt. 22(2):183-197.
[12] WHO/UNICEF (2013). Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation: Progress on Drinking Water and Sanitation – 2013 Update. Geneva: WHO Press.
[13] Monney, I., Buamah, R., Odai, S. N., Awuah, E., Nyenje, P. M. (2013). Evaluating access to potable water and basic sanitation in Ghana's largest urban slum community: Old Fadama, Accra. J. Envt. Earth Sci. 3(11):20-36.
[14] Osumanu, I. K. (2013). Health changes of urban poverty and water supply in Northern Ghana. In: Wagner JR (ed.), The Social Life of Water. New York & Oxford: Berghahn Books, pp. 158-179.
[15] Owusu-Sekyere, E., Aasoglenang, T. A., Bonye, Z. S. (2014). Household water supply vulnerability in low income communities in Ghana: experiences from Aboabo in the Kumasi Metropolitan Area. Int. J. Envt. Prot. Pol. 2(1):9-18.
[16] Addo, K. K., Mensah, G. I., Bekoe, M., Bonsu, C., Akyeh, K. (2009). Bacteriological quality of schate water produced and solid in Teshie-Nungua suburbs of Accra, Ghana. Afr. J. Food Agr. Nutri. Devt. 9(4):1019-1030.
[17] Stoler, J., Weeks, R. J., Fink, G. (2012). Sachet drinking water in Ghana’s Accra-Tema Metropolitan Area: past, present and future. J. Water, San. Hyg. Devt. 2(4):223-240.
[18] Osumanu, I. K. (2008). Private sector participation in urban water and sanitation provision in Ghana: Experiences from the Tamale Metropolitan Area (TMA). Envt. Mgt. 42:102-110.
[19] Suleiman, L., Cars, G. (2010). Water supply governance in Accra: authentic or symbolic. Water Pol. 12:272-289.
[20] Ahimah, J. K., Ofosu, S. A. (2012). Evaluation of the quality of sachet water vended in the New Juaben Municipality of Ghana. Int. J. Water Res. Envt. Eng. 4(5):134-138.
[21] Singh, A. I. (2006). Governing water wisely. UN Chron. 4:24-25.
[22] Osumanu, I. K. (2010). Community involvement in urban water and sanitation provision: the missing link in partnerships for improved service delivery in Ghana”. J. Afr. Std. Devt. 2(8):208-215.
[23] Bartram, J., Lewis, K., Lenton, R., Wright, A. (2005). Focusing on improved water and sanitation for health. Lancet, 365:810–812.
[24] Satterthwaite, D. (2004). The millennium development goals and poverty reduction”. In: Satterthwaite, D. (ed.), The Millennium Development Goals and Local Processes: Hitting the Target or Missing the Point? London: International Institute for Environment and Development, pp. 7-46.
[25] O'Hara, S., Hannan, T., Genina, M. (2008). Assessing access to safe water and monitoring progress on MDG7 target 10 (access to safe water and basic sanitation): Lessons from Kazakhstan. Water Pol. 10:1-24.
[26] WHO/UNICEF (2005). Water for Life: Making it Happen. Retrieved on 18 July 2014. Available: http://www.wssinfo.org/pdf/JMPJ)5_text.pdf
[27] Ghana Statistical Service (2012). Ghana: Population and Housing Census 2010. Accra: Ghana Statistical Service.
[28] Ghana Statistical Service (2012). Ghana: Demographic and Health Survey 2008. Accra: Ghana Statistical Service.
Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Enoch Akwasi Kosoe, Issaka Kanton Osumanu. (2015). Water is Life: Situation Analysis of Access to Household Water Supply in the Wa Municipality, Ghana. International Journal of Environmental Protection and Policy, 3(1), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijepp.20150301.11

    Copy | Download

    ACS Style

    Enoch Akwasi Kosoe; Issaka Kanton Osumanu. Water is Life: Situation Analysis of Access to Household Water Supply in the Wa Municipality, Ghana. Int. J. Environ. Prot. Policy 2015, 3(1), 1-13. doi: 10.11648/j.ijepp.20150301.11

    Copy | Download

    AMA Style

    Enoch Akwasi Kosoe, Issaka Kanton Osumanu. Water is Life: Situation Analysis of Access to Household Water Supply in the Wa Municipality, Ghana. Int J Environ Prot Policy. 2015;3(1):1-13. doi: 10.11648/j.ijepp.20150301.11

    Copy | Download

  • @article{10.11648/j.ijepp.20150301.11,
      author = {Enoch Akwasi Kosoe and Issaka Kanton Osumanu},
      title = {Water is Life: Situation Analysis of Access to Household Water Supply in the Wa Municipality, Ghana},
      journal = {International Journal of Environmental Protection and Policy},
      volume = {3},
      number = {1},
      pages = {1-13},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ijepp.20150301.11},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijepp.20150301.11},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijepp.20150301.11},
      abstract = {Far too many people in urban Ghana live without access to safe drinking water and this is a primary determinant of continuing poverty. Using questionnaire survey and key informant interviews, this study explored the situation of households’ access to potable water supply in the Wa Municipality, a low-income urban area in north-west Ghana. This study highlights several important issues on access to water supply focusing on availability, accessibility and cost. A clustered sample of residential areas of the municipality was employed and the study was able to examine spatial disparities in access to water supply. The results indicate that access to potable water supply in the municipality is generally high as only 13 percent of households depend on open wells as their main source. Also, the private sector (individuals and non-governmental organizations) are major players in public water supply in the municipality. In spite of the progress made in access to potable water supply, distance and cost of water remain serious challenges confronting households. The study recognizes that private individuals create additional water facilities to augment public supplies, but the positive impacts on health and livelihoods could be greater if access to finance could be facilitated. Most importantly, water supply improvement strategies should incorporate an integrated vision, which sees adequate and quality water both as a goal in itself and as a contributor to economic and social development through gains in public health.},
     year = {2015}
    }
    

    Copy | Download

  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Water is Life: Situation Analysis of Access to Household Water Supply in the Wa Municipality, Ghana
    AU  - Enoch Akwasi Kosoe
    AU  - Issaka Kanton Osumanu
    Y1  - 2015/02/15
    PY  - 2015
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijepp.20150301.11
    DO  - 10.11648/j.ijepp.20150301.11
    T2  - International Journal of Environmental Protection and Policy
    JF  - International Journal of Environmental Protection and Policy
    JO  - International Journal of Environmental Protection and Policy
    SP  - 1
    EP  - 13
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2330-7536
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijepp.20150301.11
    AB  - Far too many people in urban Ghana live without access to safe drinking water and this is a primary determinant of continuing poverty. Using questionnaire survey and key informant interviews, this study explored the situation of households’ access to potable water supply in the Wa Municipality, a low-income urban area in north-west Ghana. This study highlights several important issues on access to water supply focusing on availability, accessibility and cost. A clustered sample of residential areas of the municipality was employed and the study was able to examine spatial disparities in access to water supply. The results indicate that access to potable water supply in the municipality is generally high as only 13 percent of households depend on open wells as their main source. Also, the private sector (individuals and non-governmental organizations) are major players in public water supply in the municipality. In spite of the progress made in access to potable water supply, distance and cost of water remain serious challenges confronting households. The study recognizes that private individuals create additional water facilities to augment public supplies, but the positive impacts on health and livelihoods could be greater if access to finance could be facilitated. Most importantly, water supply improvement strategies should incorporate an integrated vision, which sees adequate and quality water both as a goal in itself and as a contributor to economic and social development through gains in public health.
    VL  - 3
    IS  - 1
    ER  - 

    Copy | Download

Author Information
  • Department of Environment and Resource Studies, University for Development Studies, Wa, Ghana

  • Department of Environment and Resource Studies, University for Development Studies, Wa, Ghana

  • Sections