Over the years, the WASH sector in Ghana has seen significant growth and development, with competent technical agencies, a dynamic private sector and sustained service delivery, especially for the rural sub sector. Despite this progress, the sector is hampered by the lack of a common strategy or sector-wide coordination framework that pulls together the different sub sectors and related aspects of sanitation. Most interventions are project driven, with different project teams adopting their own systems and procedures independent of others, sometimes with little or no government influence. This results in poor prioritization and planning of investments, increased transaction costs, lack of government leadership and ownership.
For many years, there was discourse among sector stakeholders towards a better coordinated and more effective WASH sector in line with the Paris Declaration. Discussions about a better coordinated WASH sector took shape in 2010, when stakeholders finally embarked on efforts to adopt a Sector Wide Approach (SWAP). Government, Development Partners, Civil Society and other relevant stakeholders in the sector actively engaged in a stepwise process towards adoption of SWAp. Under SWAp all Development Partners (DPs) are expected to make use of national systems of planning, management, implementation, monitoring and evaluation and to contribute to reinforcement of these systems. Capacity development has been made an explicit cross-cutting focus.
A SWAp Roadmap was developed, and SWAp Implementation Taskforce was constituted under the leadership of the Water Directorate to oversee the SWAp Implementation process. The Roadmap outlined a series of eight (8) action oriented workshops to be held, including the following:
1) SWAp Road Map Introductory workshop: to solicit the buy-in of all sector stakeholder (i.e. Government of Ghana, Development Partners, Sector Agencies, NGOs and other relevant stakeholders;
2) Workshop to deepen understanding of Ghana‟s Water Sector SWAp and agree on a Code of Conduct (and eventual MoU) of the SWAp;
3) Workshop to Agree on a Comprehensive Sector Wide Development Action Plan (including: assigning leaders and responsible stakeholders for conducting sector assessments, the establishment of an annual sector-wide program of work - with corresponding prioritized budget and results based management framework for the SWAp);
5) Workshop to Discuss the Implementation of a Comprehensive Monitoring and Evaluation System for the SWAp;
6) Workshop to Discuss and Agree on Procurement Principles and Guidelines under the SWAp;
7) Workshop to Agree on Various Financing Options for the SWAp; and
8) Any other Workshops required for successful SWAp Road Map implementation.
The first four in the series were held in 2010, and the remainder is expected to be completed in 2011. The Code of Conduct was also signed. The following results are expected at the end of the roadmap:
Awareness and common understanding established among stakeholders on the extent and scope of cooperation required with respect to harmonized approaches and the need for government leadership as well as donor, NGO, private sector and other stakeholders‟ alignment to national development priorities.
Discussion of short, medium and long term benefits from harmonization, lessons of experience, issues and measures to overcome critical and strategic barriers to harmonization and alignment.
Formulation of ways and means to operationalize the national sector plan and the SWAp which will lead to increased development effectiveness and ultimately, real outcomes in regard to water and sanitation targets as well as poverty reduction goals, through the implementation of concrete Action Plans.
During the Second Action Oriented SWAp workshop held in Accra in March 2010, stakeholders identified short and long term priority actions to be undertaken for the effective implementation of the SWAp. The Short term priority actions included:
Operationalization of District Monitoring & Evaluation System, in all regions and Metropolitan/Municipal/District assemblies. The system should cater for different types of data streams within the sector
Sector-wide capacity assessment to identify gaps in financial absorption capacity and human resources (public, private)
Develop strategies for capacity enhancement
Some of the long term priority actions included:
Clarifying roles, mandates and structures at regional and district levels
Identify sustainable funding mechanisms
Development of private sector capacity, including private for profit and non-profit organizations
A critical requirement for the successful implementation of the SWAp is the strengthening of the Water Directorate in terms of staffing, office space and logistics and the development of a Sector Strategic Development Plan (SSDP). Programmes and projects are currently coordinated by the GWCL, CWSA and WRC as discrete interventions in their specific areas of mandate. To address this fragmentation, the government now plans to develop a Sector Strategic Development Plan (SSDP) for the WASH sector. The SSDP will be a key instrument for the implementation of the Sector Wide Approach (SWAp) for the WASH sector and all DP support would be driven by the SSDP priorities. More details about the SSDP are provided in Chapter 2.
3.2 National Environmental Sanitation Policy Coordinating Council (NESPoCC)
A National Environmental Sanitation Policy Coordinating Council (NESPoCC) comprising all relevant stakeholders is the highest policy making and coordination body for environmental sanitation in Ghana. NESPoCC met about 3 times, as against 4 meetings expected for the year.
3.3 The Sector Working Group
The Sector Working Group comprises Government, Development Partners and Civil Society in the WASH sector that meets monthly to review critical issues and overall progress of the sector. The group is chaired by the Directors for Water, and Environmental Health and Sanitation. DPs select a Lead annually. The group successfully met on all occasions as planned throughout the year.
3.4 National Sanitation Technical Working Group
The National Technical Working Group on Sanitation (NTWGS) was formed in 2008 comprising key stakeholders and organizations. Following the evaluation of CLTS in 2009, the NTWGS supported the development of a number of documents to guide CLTS implementation including a protocol for the declaration of open defecation-free (ODF) communities. The group has also proposed to solicit a technical support visit to Ghana by Kamal Kar, the initiator of the CLTS approach in 2011.
Chapter 4: Water Resources Management
Introduction
This chapter provides information on water resources management. The chapter presents an overview of Ghana's water resources, including availability, demand, and water quality.
4.1 Overview of Ghana‟s water resources
Ghana‟s water resources are divided into surface and groundwater sources. Surface water resources are mainly from three river systems that drain Ghana, namely: the Volta, South Western and Coastal river systems. The Volta system is made up of the Red, Black and White Volta Rivers as well as the Oti River. The southwestern river system is made up of the Bia Tano, Ankobra and Pra rivers. The Tordzie/Aka, Densu, Ayensu, Ochi-Nakwa and Ochi-Amissah comprise the coastal river systems. These river systems make up 70%, 22% and 8% respectively of Ghana‟s total land area of about 240,000 km
2. In addition to these, the only significant natural freshwater lake in Ghana is Lake Bosomtwi with a surface area of 50km2, and a maximum depth of 78m.
In terms of groundwater resources, Ghana is underlain by three main geological formations, namely the basement complex comprising crystalline igneous and metamorphic rocks; the consolidated sedimentary formations underlying the Volta basin (including the limestone horizon) and the mesozoic and cenozoic sedimentary rocks. These formations represent 54%, 45% and 1 % of the land area of the country respectively.
4.1.1 Water availability
The total annual runoff is 56.4 billion m
3 with the Volta River accounting for 41.6 billion m3. The mean annual runoff from Ghana alone is about 40 billion m3. The Volta, Southwestern and Coastal systems contribute 65%, 29% and 6%, respectively, of this runoff. However, the runoffs are characterized by wide disparities between the wet season and dry season flows.
The total amount of groundwater available in the country is yet to be determined. The depth of aquifers in the basement complex and the Volta Basin is normally between 10m to 60m with yields rarely exceeding 6m
3/h. The aquifer depths in the mesozoic and cenozoic formations are usually between six and 120m with average yields of about 184m3/h particularly in the limestone aquifer. Groundwater occurrences in limestone formations, which also exist, are located much deeper, typically in the range of 120m to 300m. The average yield in the limestone formation is 180m3/h.
Experience has shown that groundwater has a number of advantages over surface water for the provision of water supply and is used as the first choice among other options for community water supplies whenever it is available.
4.1.2 Water demand
The main consumptive uses of water in Ghana are drinking water supply, irrigation, livestock watering, and industrial supply. On the basis of surface water resources alone, the consumptive water demand for 2010 was estimated at 3.0 billion m
3, which is equivalent to about 7.4% of the annual run off from Ghana alone.
The main non-consumptive uses are inland fisheries, water transport, and hydropower generation. The projected demand for hydropower generation in 2010 was 37.8 billion m
3, which could also be met from the total surface water resources available.
4.1.3 State of water quality
The quality of water resources, which hitherto was fairly good, has in very recent years been showing signs of gradual deterioration. Water pollution of varying degrees is prevalent in almost all the river basins of Ghana but is more pronounced in urbanized river basins like the Densu and in areas where mining activities take place especially, in the Pra, Ankobra, and Birim basins.
In the rainy season, because of high river flows, the colour of waters, the total dissolved or suspended solids and conductivity change or increase considerably. For instance, a Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) value of over 2000mg/l has been found in the Subin River whilst a suspended solid load of 5,067 kg/day has been recorded for the Birim River. Dumping of domestic, industrial and agricultural wastes into rivers and streams, particular the South–Western and Coastal river systems have resulted in high levels of pollution in the surface water that requires attention.
Problems associated with the quality of groundwater are generally localized. For instance, the problem of high fluoride concentrations in groundwater caused by natural geologic conditions and the decomposition of plant material near industrial sources occurs mostly in the White Volta Basin especially in the Bongo District of the Upper East Region. Concentrations of 1.5 to 5.0mg/l have been found in boreholes in the Bongo granitic formation and a concentration of 6.0mg/l found at Lungo as against the WHO guideline value of 1.5mg/l.
The problem of high iron concentrations in groundwater is more widespread and prevalent in the Ankobra, Pra, Tano, Ayensu, Main Volta and Lower Volta River basins. Table 1 below provides examples of areas with high iron concentrations in Ghana:
Ground water in these areas has unacceptable iron concentrations by WHO standards. Areas around Ave Dakpa, Peki, Winneba, Wassa Simpa and Prestea have exceptionally too much iron concentration in their groundwater resources and care must be taken in resorting to groundwater for drinking purposes in such areas.
Seawater intrusion and high salinity of groundwater has been found to be prevalent in the coastal areas particularly in the Pra, Ankobra, Ayensu Ochi-Nakwa and Lower Volta River basins. High salinity of groundwater has also been found to occur in the Densu, Ayensu, Ochi-Nakwa, Kakum/Bruku, White Volta and Lower Volta River basins.
4.2 Water Resources Monitoring and Assessment
4.2.1 Surface water management
Planning for allocation of water for various uses, involves a substantial amount of information collection, collation and storage as well as assessments of climate, hydrological and socio-economic variables to be able to model future scenarios. Hence, the Water Research Institute (WRI), Hydrological Services Division (HSD), and Ghana Meteorological Services Agency are engaged in undertaking various aspects of water resources assessment with the support of some development partners and the Government of Ghana. In 2010, surface water assessment activities implemented include:
Improving the surface water hydrometric network in the Pra and Tano Basins;
Standardizing documentation on hydro geological data towards proper documentation of all available hydro geological data and information in digital form;
Assessing biological indicators of pollution: biological and physico-chemical assessments are expected to give a more accurate picture of the stresses on the quality of natural waters; and
Strengthening the Geographical Information System (GIS) skills and applications to enhance data management and database operations
4.2.2 Groundwater management
Groundwater assessment was basically anchored under the CIDA supported Hydro geological Assessment Project (HAP), which seeks to improve the knowledge base and comprehension of the hydro-geological make-up of the three (3) regions in Northern Ghana. Latest activities have been geared towards the monitoring of groundwater resources and creation of a database with information and data from groundwater levels and quality. The essence of monitoring and data collection was to determine trends in water level fluctuations as well as anthropogenic impacts on the resource for effective planning and forecasting purposes. Performance in 2010 included:
Chloride Mass Balance recharge assessment focusing on the analyses of precipitation samples collected from meteorological stations in the area.
Harmonization of the hydro geological database to provide easy access to reliable information/data.
Basic training was also given to some technical staff in the use of some software programs for the management of the database.
Monitoring of the 37 monitoring boreholes (22 existing and 15 newly constructed) continued. Analysis revealed that more than half of the 15 new boreholes have yields exceeding 300 litres per minute (more than the statistical average expected). Examination of the impact of deeper drilling depths as a possible sector approach to improving the success rates of drilling as well as increasing yields is currently being applied in sections of the Brong Ahafo Region.
4.2.3 Water quality management
The water quality monitoring and assessment program started in 2005 in the Southwestern and Coastal River Systems, with nineteen 19 stations. In 2010 the number of monitoring stations was increased to 40 to include the Volta River System and hence cover the whole country. In all, 31 river stations and nine reservoir/lakes stations were monitored during the year. The break-down of monitoring stations is as follows:
South-Western System - 19 stations;
Coastal System - 8 stations;
Volta System - 13 stations.
The Water Quality Index (WQI), which is the general water quality indices type in which various physical, chemical and microbiological variables are aggregated to produce an overall index of water quality, describes the state of water quality of the water bodies. The WQI classification is shown in Table 1
There were a few exceptions, which were classified as Class I and III during the monitoring period as shown in the Table 2.
Among the number of water systems that were monitored in 2010, the Densu River at Potroase improved in quality from 63.9 in 2008 to 77.4 in October 2010. At Nsawam the Densu River improved from 42.3 in 2008 to 60.8 in 2010. Both River Tano at Sefwi Wiawso and Butre at Ewusijo improved in quality between 2008 and 2010 from 57.3 and 63.9 respectively to 70.6 each. The Ayensu River at Mankrong recorded slight slip from class II to class III, while the Offin River at Barekese sliped slightly from 67.4 to 65.6. New data on a couple of water systems were also collected on White Volta at Pwalugu and Nabogo, Black Volta at Bamboi, Main Volta at Ajena and Dayi at Hohoe. All of them were in class II.
4.3 Water Resources Planning and Regulation
4.3.1 Water Use Regulations
The implementation of a Water Use Regulations (L.I. 1692) and procedures for the issuance of rights to major water users by means of permits progressed satisfactorily. Nine (9) new Water Use Permits were granted during the year under review: five (5) for abstraction, one (1) each for diversion, construction, dewatering and fish culturing activities. Five (5) permits were also renewed, one each for dredging, construction, fish culturing and two (2) for abstraction activities.
The WRC, in fulfillment of the provisions of section 11(5) of the Water Use Regulations 1692 of 2001, published the third Water Use Register at the end of 2010. There was a total of 171 registered water users in 2010 as against one hundred and fifty-four (154) as at 2009. 63% of the total registered users are engaged in domestic and/or municipal water supply, mining takes about 15%, while industry takes about 6%. See Table 3.
Table 4: Licensed Water Users (2010)
| Water Users | 2009 | 2010 |
| Power generation | 2 | 2 |
| Recreation/Navigation | 1 | 1 |
| Domestic | 103 | 107 |
| Mining | 24 | 31 |
| Industrial | 10 | 11 |
| Irrigation | 9 | 10 |
| Aquaculture | 5 | 9 |
| Total | 154 | 171 |
4.3.2 Drilling License and Groundwater Development Regulations
The administration of the Drilling License and Groundwater Development Regulations, 2006 (LI 1827) also progressed with the view to ensuring that water wells drilling activities are appropriately coordinated, data on groundwater is properly generated, and the development of groundwater resources is sustained.
Table 5: Drilling Licenses Issued as at 2010
| Year | Number of Companies |
| 2009 | 28 |
| 2010 | 29 |
| Total | 57 |
Twenty-nine (29) well drilling licenses were issued during the reporting year to twenty-nine contractors including four (4) foreign contractors bringing the total number of companies issued with licenses to fifty seven (57), an increase of 29 over the 28 licenses issued as at 2009.
The WRC classifies drilling companies under three categories: A Category „A‟ company must possess more than four drilling rigs; a category „B‟ company must possess between two and five drilling rigs; a Category „C‟ company either hires rigs or possesses only one drilling rig.
Out of the total of 57 licensed companies, 39, representing about 68% were in Category „C‟, while 18, representing 32% were in Category „B‟. None of them were in Category „A‟.
4.3.3 Compliance Monitoring
Field monitoring of water users focused on hotspot areas in the Volta, Eastern and Western Regions. Routine monitoring was carried out through the review of environmental reports from Water Use Permit holders in compliance with their permit conditions. Water users such as gold mines, rubber and palm plantations, and fruit processing factories continued to submit monthly records of raw water volumes abstracted, results of water quality monitoring of surface and groundwater sources, and well water levels. Targeted field monitoring exercises were also undertaken to verify accuracy of records submitted by some permit holders.
Reports submitted generally indicated that the effluent concentrations of most parameters discharged into water bodies were within prescribed guidelines of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
4.3.4 Development of Dam Safety Regulations
The Commission in 2009 initiated the process of developing a third set of Regulations and set up of a National Dam Safety Unit to regulate and coordinate all relevant activities related to dam design, construction, operations, maintenance, and decommissioning. The ultimate goal was to ensure uniform and adequate level of safety for all dams throughout Ghana. Accordingly, an agreement was completed and signed with the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) for a 3-year support program for the establishment of a Dam Safety Unit and the development of dam safety regulations. At the end of 2010 technical committees (Dam Safety Working Group, Legal Committee and Finance Committee) were set up to provide technical inputs and facilitate the process.
4.4 River Basin Management and Planning
4.4.1 Functionality of River Basin Institutions
One of the key principles for ensuring proper management of water resources is to promote decision-making and action at the lowest appropriate level. Hence, the strategy has been to decentralize water resources management and planning to the river basin level and encourage the active involvement of local level institutions through the setting up of functional river basin management structures.
In line with this objective of decentralizing IWRM in Ghana, the process of setting up two new functional and priority river Basin Secretariats and Boards for the Pra and Tano Basins continued. The Pra Basin Secretariat was successfully set up in Kumasi, while the membership for its Basin Board was however still being garnered. Establishment of the Tano Basin Secretariat began with the employment of a Basin Officer and the acquisition of office space in collaboration with the Brong Ahafo Regional Coordinating Council. Identification of key stakeholders and a physical survey of the Tano Basin were also carried out. When completed, the total number of basin offices will increase to five.
4.4.2 River Basin and National IWRM Plans
IWRM plans seek to address and incorporate actions towards the more local (community based) initiatives, which can be taken to reverse prevalent catchment degradation trends, viz. encroachment, deforestation and unabated pollution. Regarding the development of river basin IWRM plans, baseline studies were successfully conducted and the initial stakeholder strategic environment assessment undertaken to serve as inputs towards the development of IWRM plans for the Pra and Tano Basins.
In the case of the Dayi Basin, both the baseline studies and development of a Water Evaluation and Planning System (WEAP) model were completed. The baseline studies focused on information on the physical and socio-economic features of the basin, water resources assessment, and demand projections.
On the other hand, the development of the National IWRM plan was initiated with the completion of inception workshops and commencement of requisite baseline studies.
4.4.3 Policy Initiatives: Riparian Buffer Zone policy
A Riparian Buffer Zone Policy is being designed as a harmonized document of all the dormant and fragmented regulations in the country concerning buffers bordering water
bodies or river systems. It is also being designed to provide comprehensive measures and actions that would guide the creation of vegetative buffers along open water bodies (rivers, streams, lakes) for their preservation and functioning.
The draft Buffer Zone Policy document was subjected to the Strategic Environment Assessment (SEA) principles through consultative workshops. Subsequently, the document is being finalized for approval by the Commission before submission to the MWRWH for adoption.
4.4.4 IWRM promotion and public awareness
The WRC Communication Strategy continued to be executed with water resources management education and awareness raising elements countrywide. Specifically, three documentaries (for Pra, Tano and national) were produced for screening. Other communication materials such as T-shirts and brochures were also produced, while the production of two information billboards for the Pra and Tano basins was initiated. Finally, eight of the nine targeted regional fora were organized. The workshops were designed to promote and facilitate IWRM awareness at the district level and were organized for women‟s groups including queen mothers, women, NGOs, and the media, amongst others.
4.5 Transboundary Water Resources Management
4.5.1 The Volta Basin Authority (VBA)
The Volta Basin Authority (VBA), which was formally established on 14th August, 2009, seeks to ensure international cooperation for the rational and sustainable management of the water resources of the Volta basin, shared by the six riparian countries Burkina Faso, Benin, Cote d‟Ivoire, Ghana, Mali and Togo. By the end of 2010, the interim VBA secretariat focusing on its immediate objective of achieving an effective establishment and operation of the VBA, had accomplished, among others, the following:
i. Production of a meta-database on the hydro-meteorological networks and an atlas of thematic maps on the Volta Basin. This was achieved from a study on the division of the basin into homogeneous areas and assessment of hydro-meteorological networks for data collection in the Volta basin;
ii. Completion of Pre-investment studies for the establishment of a Pre-investment Fund to facilitate pre-feasibility and feasibility studies of identified areas of priority development;
iii. Implementing a 3-year program towards the establishment and functioning of an Observatory for Water Resources in the basin;
iv. Initiated the drafting of a Water Charter; and
v. Organized three key thematic fora on cartography, agricultural water, and sustainable management of groundwater.
4.5.2 The Project on Improving Water Governance in the Volta Basin (PAGEV)
The Project on Improving Water Governance in the Volta Basin (PAGEV), which is in its 2nd phase, was initiated by IUCN in 2004 in response to the need for transboundary coordination and cooperation regarding the management of the water resources of the Volta basin and is focusing on the White Volta basin. The areas benefitting in Ghana are the districts of Bawku West, Bawku Municipality, and Garu Tempane. The project had recorded, as at end of 2010, significant results that set benchmarks for enhanced transboundary water resources management of the Volta. These include:
Compilation of knowledge on status and dynamics of water resources in the Volta;
Production of base and thematic maps;
Establishment of committees for the protection of the riverbanks in eight pilot communities. About 139 community members were trained and sensitized in group dynamics, management and decision making towards effective management of riverbank protection interventions in the Bawku East Municipal, Bawku West and Garu Tempane Districts;
Reforestation of riverbanks of the pilot zone with fruit trees and woodlots as alternatives for income generation and fuel wood. 80 nursery attendants were trained and about 4,000 seedlings were raised and planted out of which 3,742 trees have so far survived in 7 seven communities in the Bawku Municipal and Bawku West District along the White Volta River; and
Establishment of local trans-border stakeholders‟ forum in both Ghana and Burkina Faso to promote transboundary dialogue and cooperation.
4.5.3 Ghana-Burkina Faso Joint Technical Committee on IWRM (JTC-IWRM)
The Ghana-Burkina Faso Joint Technical Committee on IWRM (JTC-IWRM) was set up in 2005 and functioning since 2006, with the WRC as the focal institution for Ghana. The JTC-IWRM advises the Ministers in charge of water of the two countries.
In 2010, Ghana hosted the Burkina Faso counterpart in a reciprocal visit at the national level with the view to sharing experiences in the management of water resources at the national and local levels and also initiated discussions on collaboration on risk management, particularly relating to annul floods that affect the northern regions of Ghana.
4.5.4 The UNEP/GEF Project
The WRC is on behalf of Ghana hosting a 4-year UNEP/GEF Volta project, which started in January 2008. The Project is a regional imitative of the six riparian countries of the basin (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d‟Ivoire, Ghana, Mali and Togo) and is intended to address the perceived major transboundary problems and issues of the Volta basin leading to the degradation of the environment as a result of human activities, by reducing those activities that lead to water scarcity and to integrate environmental concerns into development plans of the basin. It is also designed to promote a more sectorwide–coordinated management approach, based on the principles of Integrated Water Resources Management, both at the national and regional levels with strong emphasis on an expanded role for all stakeholders.
Key activities performed in 2010 include:
Completion of national studies on stakeholders/institutional framework, and data and information management for the Volta basin;
Completion of national Transboundary Diagnostics Study (TDA) on the Volta Basin; and
Initiated a demonstration project in the Bole and Sawla/Tuna/Kalba Districts for addressing land degradation in selected areas of the Black Volta sub-basin.
4.6 Climate Change Adaptation
A two-year DANIDA supported project, Climate Change Adaptation through IWRM, is being piloted in the White Volta basin from 2009-2011. It is to address floods and drought disasters on the biophysical environment, and to collate indigenous knowledge on adaptation. The project is focused on promoting adaptive and coping strategies for water resources use and management to reduce livelihood vulnerability in the three northern regions. Interventions accomplished include the development of:
Climate safe and minimum evaporative community own dug-outs and wells. Three (3) communities in the Bongo District benefited from such wells;
Community nurseries towards tree planting around water storage facilities;
Designed appropriate non-traditional water harvesting climate safe subsurface water storage facility/reservoir and to minimize the impact of floodwaters. Three (3) communities in Savelugu Nanton, West Mamprusi, and Central Gonja Districts benefitted from such storage facilities/reservoirs. The construction of similar facilities was ongoing in seven other communities;
A draft water conservation and irrigation strategy was been developed.
Chapter 5: Sector Performance against MDG Targets
Introduction
This chapter presents a summary of Ghana‟s WASH Sector performance against the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Though this report focuses on local targets as against the Un MDG targets whose methodologies are different (relying on user-based data rather than provider-based data), this chapter has been introduced to report solely on MDG progress to help data users make the right choice at the right time. After this chapter, the rest of the report will be based on national targets only.
Users of WASH data are reminded that once MDG is the subject, only user-based survey data from the Ghana Statistical Service or the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) data is used. It is therefore misleading to use provider data from any WASH Sector agency when reporting on the MDGs since different methodologies are applied to derive such data. The 85% coverage set by the GWCL for urban water supply by 2015 is a national target and should not be reported as Ghana‟s MDG target for urban water. In the same vein, the CWSA‟s 76% target by 2015 is a national target and not MDG target. The aggregated national target, as reported in the 2009 Sector Performance Report, is 80% by 2015.
MDG targets are not set deliberately by any institution but are derived from a simple calculation based on reported coverage data in 1990 by national statistical offices worldwide. This is because the MDG for water and sanitation is to "halve by 2015, the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation." The base year for monitoring MDG progress is 1990.
5.1 Ghana‟s MDG Progress on WASH as at 2010
Since there were no surveys in 2010 apart from the Population and Housing Census (PHC) whose report was not ready as at the end of the year, the latest available data is the Demographic and Health Survey Report (DHS 2008) and the JMP report 2010 (which also reports on 2008 surveys). The indicators used to measure MDG progress on water and sanitation are:
The proportion of the population that uses an improved drinking water source, urban and rural;
The proportion of the population that uses an improved sanitation facility, urban and rural.
The table below presents Ghana's status as at 1990 and her recent position (as at 2008).
Table 6: Ghana‟s MDG status 1990 and 2008
| Year | % Water Coverage | % Sanitation coverage |
| Rural | Urban | National | Rural | Urban | National |
| 1990 | 37 | 84 | 54 | 4 | 11 | 7 |
| 2000 | 58 | 88 | 71 | 5 | 15 | 9 |
| 2008 | 74 | 90 | 82 | 7 | 18 | 13 |
| Source: WHO/UNCEF Joint Monitoring Programme; Progress on Sanitation and Drinking Water 2010 update |
As 46% of Ghanaians did not use an improved drinking water source in 1990, and the MDG was to reduce that figure by half by 2015, one could then conclude that Ghana‟s MDG target for drinking water is 77%. Therefore if as at 2008, when 82% of the population was drinking from an improved source, Ghana could be said to be clearly on track to meet its MDG target by 2015. The same could however not be said about sanitation. Ghana should reach a target of 54% in 2015, but only 13% of the population was using an improved sanitation facility as at 2008. This indicates that the country is off track to meet its sanitation target by 2015.
5.2 The 'Time Factor' in MDG Reporting
It has been observed that MDG related data are hardly used by any of the agencies in planning and decision-making as none of the Strategic Investment Plans and agency reports apply MDG data in their analyses. This is as a result of perceptions that the MDG data are not very realistic. There is general perception that MDG coverage figures for water are too high while those for sanitation are too low. This perhaps explains why the agencies prefer to use their own data instead of the MDG data. To research into the reasons for the wide disparities between MDG data and provider data on water, the WSMP conducted a desk study in June 2010iv. The study revealed that the coverage data reported by the GSS and subsequently the JMP do not consider the time that people spend in search of water.
The report concluded that if only those obtaining safe drinking water within a 30 minute round trip were considered as having access to water, only about 71% Ghanaians would be counted as having access to safe drinking water instead of the 82% reported by the JMP. The report called for a national consensus on this issue and advise the GSS to compute access data using the time factor as an acceptable proxy since merely relying on the type of water facility as the only proxy would always portray Ghana with high access figures whereas in reality, about 20% of those reported as having access spend more than 30 minutes in a round trip. The study was part of local efforts to find a way of adapting JMP coverage figures to suit local decision-making and planning.
Chapter 6: Urban Water Supply
Introduction
This chapter provides general information on the performance in urban water supply in 2010. There is information on urban water supply coverage trends, comparative regional coverage trends between 2009 and 2010, and coverage projection for 2015. This year, the urban water supply chapter has been expanded to cover several other indicators including water quality, water production and demand, water supply infrastructure, quality of service, tariffs and efficiency, as well as an update on the Management Contract between the GWCL and AVRL.
6.1 Urban Water Coverage
The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) has responsibility for the production, distribution and conservation of water for public, domestic, commercial and industrial use in urban areas of Ghana. Ghana‟s urban population currently stands at 12,111,716, representing 50% of the total population of 24,223,421v, according to provisional results of the 2010 Population and Housing Census. This represents an increase of 46% from the 2000 urban population of 8,278,636vi.
This rapid pace of urbanization has outstripped the capabilities of GWCL to cope with the increasing demand for water for domestic use, industry and commerce. The total daily demand for water in urban areas is about 1,076,526.00 m3 whilst daily production is about 687,949.61m3, at 75% capacity utilization. This represents coverage of 63.9%, an increase of 4% points over the 2009 coverage figure of 59%. Figure 2 below depicts Ghana‟s current urban water supply coverage, targeted and projected coverage by 2015 using a trend line to estimate.
Whereas the GWCL has set a 2015 target of 85% coverage, the utility managed approximately 64% coverage as at 2010 and if recent trends since 2006 should continue,
coverage will be 73% by 2015, leaving a gap of 12%. However if Current projects being carried out are completed as scheduled the 2015 target of 85% could be exceeded.
These current projects include the Kasoa Inter-connection, which will bring excess water from the Kwanyaku plant to Kasoa which will release about 7mgd to the distressed eastern part of the city. ATMA rural project, when completed, will supply water to Somanya, Akuapim Ridge, Atimpoku, Frankadua, Dawhenya, Dawa, Kpone, Michel camp, and Dodowa. It is expected to be completed in 2011. Contract negotiations and funding arrangements are expected to be completed for the following projects: Mampong water project, Kumawu, Konongo, Kwahu ridge water project, Damongo water project, Wa water project, Kpong II water project and the Yendi water project.
Urban Water Supply and Demand Gap
Table 7: Supply and Demand Gap
| Regions | Supply 2010
m3/day | Demand
m3/day | Gap | Coverage (%) |
| Upper West | 1,257.00 | 10,800.00 | 9,543.00 | 11.60 |
| Brong Ahafo | 14,088.00 | 49,257.00 | 35,169.00 | 28.60 |
| Upper East | 5,851.00 | 17,983.00 | 12,132.00 | 32.50 |
| Eastern | 21,124.53 | 62,245.00 | 41,120.47 | 33.90 |
| Volta | 17,101.00 | 45,064.00 | 27,963.00 | 37.90 |
| Central | 45,562.33 | 78,288.00 | 32,725.67 | 58.20 |
| Northern | 33,643.98 | 49,665.00 | 16,021.02 | 67.70 |
| Ashanti | 110,345.00 | 162,829.00 | 52,484.00 | 67.80 |
| Greater Accra | 406,044.78 | 557,549.00 | 151,504.22 | 72.80 |
| Western | 32,932.00 | 42,846.00 | 9,914.00 | 76.90 |
| Total | 687,949.61 | 1,076,526.00 | 388,576.39 | 63.90 |
The sector could not meet all the daily water demand as there was a total shortfall of 388,576.39m3 as depicted in the table above. The Upper West Region continued to be the most affected in terms of the proportion of the population as more than 88% of the population are still not covered.
6.2 Regional Trends in Water Coverage
In terms of urban water coverage, the Western Region tops with 76.9%, followed by Greater Accra (72.8%), Ashanti (67.8%), Northern (67.7%) and Central Region (58.2%). The Volta, Eastern, Upper East, Brong Ahafo and Upper West regions all have coverage levels far below the national coverage of 63.9%. The situation of the Upper West Region is rather precarious, with only 11.6% of the urban population covered. Comparatively, as some regions improved in percentage coverage, others registered negative growth between 2008 and 2010. The Western Region grew from 63% in 2008 to about 77% in 2010. The Ashanti Region also grew from 49% to 68%, the Noethern Region grew from 46% to 68 %, the Central Region grew from 43% to 58%, and the Eastern Region grew slightly from 28% to 34% within the same period. The Upper East region, however, registered a negative growth from 43% to
33%, while the Upper West Region also had a negative record from 14% to 12% within the same period.
The Upper West, Brong Ahafo, Upper East, Eastern, Volta and Central Regions all fell below the national average of approximately 64%. Nationally, however, there was a positive and significant growth from 59% to about 64%.
6.3 Coverage and Pro-Poor Issues
The poor (defined by Living Standards Measurement criteria) make up 47% of the total population in urban piped system areas. A PURC research in 2003vii found that within urban piped system areas only 15% of the poor had access to piped water either directly or via yard taps. According to a Ghana Integrity Initiative study (2010), 15% had access to water from wells (Boreholes, protected and unprotected wells), 2.5% had access to natural sources (river/stream, rain water/spring, and dug-out/pond/lake) and 8.4% had access to other sources (water truck/tanker service (0.9%), water vendor (3.4%) and sachet/bottled water (4%). 71.1% of medium wealth and 94.8% of high wealth households had indoor pipe connection.
The current tariff structure, in which unit cost of water increases with quantity consumed means that poor people who live in compound houses and use shared connections pay more for unit of water consumed than richer households who stay in small family sizes.
6.4 Water Supply Infrastructure and Sources
6.4.1 GWCL pipe connection
Urban water supply systems in Ghana include household connections, yard taps, and public standpipes (pay and fetch system). Many of these connections are not metered by the GWCL. About 60%viii of the urban population have no direct access to piped water, but rely on vendors. The poor are mostly served under this model through pubic standpipes, tanker services and local water vendors with surface or ground tanksix.
6.4.2 Water tanker operators
Water tanker operators serve as secondary providers, buying piped water from GWCL and selling either to tertiary vendors or directly to consumers. The PURC regulates the price at
which the tankers purchase the water from GWCL but not how much they resell to consumers. According to a survey by the Ghana Statistical Service, 2% of urban dwellers rely on tanker/truck/cart services as their primary source of drinking water.x
6.4.3 Water vendors
Water Vendors are a crucial component of the water supply system, serving the poorer sections of the community. Most water vendors are individuals who store water in tanks and sell it to people within their neighborhood. They may get the water from the piped system (legally or illegally), tanker trucks or through self-supplied wells. There are a growing number of water carriers who make a living by buying water from water vendors for onward retailing to others on request.
6.4.4 Rainwater Harvesting
This is mainly used in the rainy season as supplementary water source but the quality may have problems because of pollution on the roofs and poor storage conditions. Rainwater harvesting systems channel rainwater that falls on to a roof into household storage reservoirs via simple roof gutters and pipes. . The GDHS 2008 indicates that as at 2008, less than one percent (0.1%) of urban dwellers relied on rainwater for drinkingxi.
6.4.5 Packaged Water Just a little over a decade ago (1998), virtually nobody in Ghana relied on packaged water as a first choice of drinking water. Currently, more than a million people in urban areas, according to the GDHS 2008, representing 12% have shifted from drinking tap water and other more affordable and safe sources to packaged. The bulk of the packaged water consumed is sachet water, which is well patronized by people within the middle and lower classes due to perceptions of poor quality water from public supplies. Unfortunately, no data is available on the quality improvements of this water over water obtained from the taps.
6.5 Peri Urban and Low Income Urban Communitiesxii
Most parts of the peri-urban areas fall outside the formal planning framework of the relevant state authorities. Because land is privately owned, development proceeds without regard to formal Town and Country plans, or the service extension plans of utility companies. People often build without the proper land title documentation, and therefore lack legal standing in terms of utility services.
About 70% of the urban population in Ghana lives in congested and sub-standard structuresxiii. Tenancy is insecure despite past and current efforts to educate the public on the importance of obtaining formal tenancy agreements. A study by PURC concluded that the majority of the poor are unserved directly by GWCL except through informal services or secondary and tertiary sources
1. PURC and GWCL are in the process of developing a strategy for improving water service in these communities.
Due to intermittent water supply, some customers install storage facilities, and these tend to divert water flowing in the network away from poor families who cannot afford the cost of storage reservoirs. A more recent practice has been the tendency for some households or individuals to install suction pumps to draw water into reservoirs, thereby depriving people downstream who depend on the same line of any water. GWCL has been making efforts to clamp down on the use of suction pumps. In addition, GWCL and other partners have put in place a number of pro-poor measures, including provision of storage tanks, water kiosks, stand-pipes, public baths and toilets to various communities. Some of the areas that benefited include: Osu, La, Teshie in Greater Accra, Zaare in the Upper East Region, Dwomo in the Brong Ahafo Region among others.
6.6 Water Quality
According to GWCL water quality at treatment points is good, but may get contaminated during transmission due to broken pipes that allow intrusion. The use of same tanker trucks to supply drinking water and raw water for construction presents additional quality challenges to those who rely on such services for drinking water. Although the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) has issued some guidelines for tankers, enforcement is yet to take effect.
The objectives of GWCL‟s Water Quality Monitoring are to improve water quality, evaluate risks to the population, determine long-term trends and prioritize interventions. Major achievements in the area of water quality are the preparation of Water Safety Plans (WSP) and implementation of Water Quality Monitoring Procedures.
Table 8: Some Achievements in Water Quality Issues as at 2010 by GWCL
| Water Safety Plans | Water Quality Monitoring Procedures |
- Existence of water safety plans
- Investment in laboratory equipment
- Systematic quality monitoring
- Availability of nWater Quality Reports
|
- Source water quality monitoring
- Treatment process control
- Distribution system monitoring
- Water quality surveillance
|
Critical parameters of GWCL‟s water quality monitoring include E.Coli or thermo tolerant (faecal) coliforms, turbidity, free chlorine residuals and pH.
6.7 Quality of Service
In majority of urban areas, water is rationed due to high demand and inadequate supply. It is significant to note that there is lack of proper metering of urban water production and consumption by GWCL and therefore data available are estimates by GWCL. GWCL estimates that although demand stood at 1,076,527m3 of water per day as at 2010, only about 687,949.61m3 was produced per day. GWCL still records significantly high non revenue water averaging about 49.3% and has a bill collection ratio of about 90%. The situation in
the national capital, Accra, typifies the level of quality of service that consumers receive. See Figure 4:
Figure 4: Water supply status in Accra
In 2010, only a quarter of residents in Accra received continuous water supply throughout the week, while about a third receive water about 12 hour a day. One third of residents also receive supplies only two days in a week, while one tenth receive no supplies at all.
6.8 Efficiency
GWCL‟s efficiency indicators include water production rates, water sales, percentage of non revenue water, bill collection ratio, production cost and total revenue among a few others. See Annex 2 for details between 2005 and 2010.
6.8.1 Non Revenue Water The level of non-revenue water (NRW) associated with a utility company is a proxy measure of its efficiency. In the Management Contract between the Ghana Water Company and Aqua Vitens Rand Limited, a target was set to reduce non-revenue water from 48% in 2005 to 25% by 2010. By the end of 2010, non-revenue water was still about 49.3%. Figure 5 below provides a trend in non-revenue water, showing targets and achievements from 2005 to 2010.
Figure 5: Non-revenue water: Targets and achievements
The 49.3% NRW is more than twice the international best practice levels of 20%, and also more than the 33% benchmark for the low income country peer group2 . Two main factors account for the high NRW rate. One is the ageing distribution infrastructure that is full of leaks. The other is high non-technical losses due to illegal connections from the distribution network.
6.8.2 Production and SalesGWCL operates 84 pipe-borne systems nationwide. There are 94 water treatment plants in operation, four of them being new plants, with a total installed capacity of about 949,000m
3/day. Total daily water production is about 687,949.61 m3 against a daily demand of about 1,076,526.00 m3. This represents a 10% increase in water production between 2005 and 2010xiv. GWCL‟s total water production rates have improved consistently from 205.2mm3 in 2005 to 242.3mm3 in 2010.
Figure 6: Urban Water Production and Sales, 2003-2008
The sales trend is also similar, having increased from 88.03mm3 to 150.7mm3 within the same period.
6.8.3 Revenue and Cost Trends
GWCL‟s revenues have improved from GH¢55.9m in 2005 to about GH¢150m in 2010. Unfortunately, however, average cost of producing a cubic metre of water also increased from about 20 pesewas to about 45pesewas within the same period.
6.9 Status of the GWCL/AVRL Management Contract
The management contract is in its fourth year of implementation. There are challenges including extra high customer expectation, interpretations, GWCL-AVRL relations, baseline setting and procurement, among others. The removal of challenges within the contract was the main focus of a Mid Term Review by Government last year (2009). A technical audit of the operations of AVRL has been concluded by a team of consultants. The findings of the audit have been shared by key stakeholders.
6.9 Status of the GWCL/AVRL Management Contract
The management contract is in its fourth year of implementation. There are challenges including extra high customer expectation, interpretations, GWCL-AVRL relations, baseline setting and procurement, among others. The removal of challenges within the contract was the main focus of a Mid Term Review by Government last year (2009). A technical audit of the operations of AVRL has been concluded by a team of consultants. The findings of the audit have been shared by key stakeholders.
Chapter 7: Rural and Small Town Water Supply
Introduction
The Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA), a state agency under the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing, has the mandate to facilitate rural and small town drinking water supply in Ghana. The National Water Policy (NWP) defines a rural community as a community with a population of less than 5,000 people and a small town as a community that is not rural but is a small urban community, with population between 2,000 and 30,000 that has been mandated by the relevant authority(ies) to manage its own water and sanitation systems. This chapter presents data supplied by CWSA on the rural and small town sub-sector for 2010 and contains further analyses including comparisons with previous years and projections into the future as far as progress towards the 2015 target of 76% is concerned.
7.1 Access to improved drinking water sources (Regional/National)
7.1.1 Rural water supply overall performance
The national Rural and Small Town drinking water supply coverage target for 2015 is 76%. Coverage as at 2010 was about 61.74%, an encouraging increase from about 59% in 2009. This, however, leaves 38% of the Rural and Small Town Population without access to safe drinking water.
Figure 8: Rural water supply performance in 2010 against 2015 targets
Chapter 7: Rural and Small Town Water Supply
Introduction
The Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA), a state agency under the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing, has the mandate to facilitate rural and small town drinking water supply in Ghana. The National Water Policy (NWP) defines a rural community as a community with a population of less than 5,000 people and a small town as a community that is not rural but is a small urban community, with population between 2,000 and 30,000 that has been mandated by the relevant authority(ies) to manage its own water and sanitation systems. This chapter presents data supplied by CWSA on the rural and small town sub-sector for 2010 and contains further analyses including comparisons with previous years and projections into the future as far as progress towards the 2015 target of 76% is concerned.
7.1 Access to improved drinking water sources (Regional/National)
The national Rural and Small Town drinking water supply coverage target for 2015 is 76%. Coverage as at 2010 was about 61.74%, an encouraging increase from about 59% in 2009. This, however, leaves 38% of the Rural and Small Town Population without access to safe drinking water.
Figure 8: Rural water supply performance in 2010 against 2015 targets
7.1.2 Rural & small town water supply performance trends: 2000 to 2010
The Rural and Small Town drinking water supply sub-sector has seen consistent increase in coverage levels since 2000. From 40% in 2000, it rose to about 57% in 2008, 59% in 2009 and 61.74% in 2010. This represents about 55% increase in coverage during the decade. This is, however, slightly below the expected coverage of 63% by 2010.
7.1.3 Projected rural water supply coverage by 2015
If the Rural and Small Town sub sector coverage trend should be maintained, coverage by 2015 would still be approximately 72% against the expected 76% coverage. The subsector is therefore slightly off-track in achieving its 2015 target and needs to increase investments to accelerate coverage in order to achieve the set target (see figure 10 below).
Figure 10: Projected rural and small town water coverage by 2017
With the exception of the Greater Accra and Volta Regions which recorded slight decreases in coverage, all the regions recorded some improvement. Central Region and Western Region recorded very significant growth from 45% and 44% to 57% and 52% respectively from 2009 to 2010. Positions of regions on the coverage league table, however, did not change.
The Upper West Region continued to lead in rural and small town water supply, improving slightly from 76.34% in 2009 to 76.94% in 2010, while the Western Region remained at the bottom at 52.45%. Only three regions, Upper West, Ashanti and Volta, performed above the national average of (61.74%); all the rest performed below the national average.
7.2 Facility Delivery Status
Total installed number of boreholes nationwide by the CWSA rose from 12,954 in 2009 to 13,219, 2010, meaning that 265 new boreholes were installed in 2010. Two more small community piped schemes were also installed, increasing the total tally to 281 nationwide; while the number of small town piped schemes also rose from 339 to 412 between 2009 and 2010. 36 new rain harvesting systems were also provided in 2010.
Table 9: Rural water supply facility delivery status: 2009 to 2010 7.4 Information on self supply in rural & small town water supply
It has been observed that a number of rural households provide their own water supply facilities. This practice is more widespread in areas where communal water supply systems are unavailable. Even in some communities where there are facilities, some households still prefer to provide for themselves. Self supplied facilities come in diverse forms – they include rain harvesting facilities, hand-dug wells (lined and unlined with or without hand pumps), boreholes and mechanized point sources. It has also been observed that none of the agencies or CSOs captures monitoring data on self supply apart from the Ghana Statistical Service, whose surveys inherently have data on all facilities irrespective of their providers. It has been suggested that sectorwide M&E systems should capture data on self supply, while the practice should also be mainstreamed in water supply in Ghana, both rural and urban.
Chapter 8: Sanitation Introduction
The scope of sanitation for the purpose of this report is limited to the provision of, access to and use of household toilet facilities. This chapter provides some available information on sanitation as at 2010.
8.1 Access to Improved Household Toilet Facilities – provider-based data
No provider agency in Ghana had a nationwide coverage data on access to basic sanitation as at 2010. The only provider-based nationwide data on access to household toilet facilities was a baseline survey compiled in 2007/2008 by the District Environmental Health Units (DEHU) and Waste Management Departments countrywide to facilitate the development of their District Environmental Sanitation Strategy and Action Plans (DESSAPs). It must be noted that this data is skewed towards urban human settlements and captured 'improved but shared' household facilities as improved. According to the surveys, the proportion of households relying on an improved household sanitation facility was estimated at 76%, while 7% of the population relied on pan latrinesxv.
It must be emphasized here that Ghana is yet to find a clear definition for an improved toilet facility as the country is still debating whether some household toilet facilities that are shared by two or more households should be considered improved or not. The United Nations does not currently classify shared toilet facilities as improved even though there are perceptions that some shared facilities might possess all the indicators of an improved toilet facility.
The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD), through the Environmental Health and Sanitation Directorate (EHSD) is planning a nationwide research, in collaboration with the Water and Sanitation Monitoring Platform (WSMP) of the Ministry of Water Resources Works and Housing (MWRWH), to determine the extent to which shared toilet facilities could be classified as improved or unimproved and it is hoped that an answer will be found by the end of 2011.
8.2 Access to Improved Household Toilet Facilities – user-based data
In the absence of adequate provider-based4 data, WASH stakeholders have mostly used the Ghana Statistical Service generated Demographic and Health Survey (2008) data in various presentations in recent years.
As at 2008, only 13% of the population of Ghana (about three million people) was using improved toilet facilities. Improved facilities, according to the WHO/UNICEF JMP, flush or pour flush to piped sewer systems, septic tank or pit latrine, VIP and composting toilet. All others are considered unimproved. Almost 54% of the population shared their household toilet facilities with other households, while 23%, more than five million people practised open defecation.
According to the Joint Monitoring Program (WHO/UNICEF, 2008), about 18% of the urban population uses improved toilet facilities, whilst 7% practice open defecation. This translates into 210 cesspit tanker loads of feces being dumped in the urban space every day. About 4% of urban households still use pan latrines.
Averagely each person, according to the EHSD, produces about 0.25kg of faeces and 1.2litres of urine every day. With the total estimated population of 12,500,000 people living in urban areas currently, the total amount of faeces produced in a day adds up to 3,125 tonnes and that for urine is 15,000M3. This is the equivalent of about 3,000 cesspit tanker loads every day. The persistent lack of home latrines in many low income communities and the resort to more communal and public toilets is also contributing increased volumes of septage that is currently discharged untreated into many water courses and streams. Less than 15% of the septage generated in Accra and Kumasi, the two largest cities, is effectively treated.
8.3 Sanitation Facility Delivery in 2010
In terms of supply of toilet facilities in 2010, the CWSA facilitated the construction of 5,384 toilets comprising 3,660 household VIP latrines, 1,430 household KVIP latrines and 294 institutional latrines nationwide.
It is not clear how many toilets were constructed by households themselves and also by CSOs as information on CSO contribution to facility delivery and self supply of sanitation facilities is inadequate.
Chapter 9: Hygiene
Introduction
Information in this chapter includes access to household handwashing facilities, household water treatment and storage and hygiene-related events including world toilet day. There is also information on the Community-led Total Sanitation (CLTS) as the new rural sanitation model adopted by the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, as well as hygiene-related capacity development efforts.
9.1 Access to Household Handwashing Facilities
The Community Water and Sanitation Agency, (CWSA) in collaboration with other public, development agencies and private partners has developed a Public Private Partnership for Handwashing with Soap Programme with the overall objective of improving the health of ordinary Ghanaians through the tripling of rates of handwashing with soap via the public-private partnership. Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) provided the anchor and catalyst for this partnership under its mandate for water and sanitation delivery and hygiene promotion. A communications campaign „Truly CLEAN Hands‟ to motivate handwashing with soap, particularly among mothers and care-givers of children under 5 years, and school children, has been in place since December 2003.
There was no data on the number of households with access to handwashing facilities as at 2010. Stakeholders are currently working on sectorwide indicators, including indicators for measuring hygiene. It is hoped that by the end of 2011, a set of harmonized WASH sector indicators will be available and included in the Sector M&E Plan.
9.2 Handwashing Promotion Activities
With active facilitation by the CWSA, a number of handwashing promotion activities were undertaken throughout 2010:
Publicity: Use of Mass media namely Internet websites, FM Stations, Newspaper Articles and features.
Orientation: A number of sector stakeholders in sanitation, hygiene and food industry have been trained and oriented on the importance of Handwashing with soap
Media/Children Encounter: Over 200 school children and teachers had encounter with close to 22 press men from 18 media houses on the Role of the media in promoting handwashing, Children as change agents, importance of Global Handwashing Day and critical times for handwashing
Procession: 300 children from basic schools in volta Region went through the principal streets of Ho to support the awareness creation efforts of Global Handwashing Day which was launched in the Volta Region
Market Splash: Market women were educated on the need to wash hands with soap at Ashiaman and Agbogbloshie Markets.
.
Schools Activities
The schools activities were carried out in Kabore cluster of schools in Ho, Corpus Christi School in Tema and Mobole Distrct Assembly Basic School in Afienya, and Humjibere in Western Region. There were about 10,000 pupils involved. One hundred teachers from the schools were also given orientation. The Glo Germ kit was used to make contamination and ways hands transmit germs visible. The school children were also engaged in discussions on importance of handwashing with soap, critical times and ways of promoting handwashing at schools, homes, communities.
Lorry Station Activity
This activity was done in collaboration Global Neighbourhood, where drivers and their mates, regional and local executives of La Ghana Private Road Transport Union were given orientation and also engaged 50 vehicles in a road show. The passengers at the Lorry stations were sensitized about handwashing with soap. Posters and stickers were distributed and pasted on vehicles to create awareness. Handwashing stations were mounted for mass handwashing with soap.
9.3 Household Water Treatment and Storage (HWTS)
According to the 2008 Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS) conducted by the Ghana Statistical Service report, about 8.7% of the population practised appropriate household water treatment methods. Appropriate treatment methods, according to the GDHS, include boiling, straining, filtering and solar disinfection.
In 2010, a Household Water Treatment and Safe Storage (HWTS) strategy was developed by sector agencies under the leadership of the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development/ Environmental Health and Sanitation Directorate. The strategy gives direction to how water can be kept safe throughout the water chain of fetching-transportation-storage-usage. The strategy will be piloted in selected districts in central region after which the final strategy will be implemented across the country. It is expected that the implementation of the HWTS strategy will be done in tangent with the two other sector behaviour change focus areas namely Handwashing with soap and safe disposal of human faeces including CLTS.
9.4 Capacity Development for Hygiene Promotion
The focus of the hygiene and sanitation promotion is to create awareness for sustained behavioral change to ensure:
Safe confinement and disposal of excreta and other wastes
Safe handling and use of water
Personal, domestic and environmental hygiene
Regular handwashing with soap particularly at critical times.
The CWSA, as part of capacity development for hygiene promotion and sanitation in communities, trained a number of committees to support the agenda. Table 10 below provides information on 2010 capacity development activities nationwide for hygiene and sanitation:
Table 11: CWSA Capacity Development Training for Hygiene Promotion - 2010
| Committee | Number trained in 2010 |
| Watsan Committees | 918 |
| Water and Sanitation Development Boards | 87 |
| Environmental Health Assistants | 211 |
| District Water and Sanitation Teams | 107 |
Source: CWSA (2010)
