Managing Rural Water Systems For Sustainable Livelihood In Ghana; The Case Of Ga East Municipal Assembly

ABSTRACT The study was carried out in the Ga East Municipal Assembly of the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. The area was chosen because it is one of the newly created municipalities, facing infrastructural, water and sanitation challenges. The area was one time prone to water borne diseases like typhoid, guinea worm, and worse of all buruli ulcers. However, between the years 2005 /2006 a DANIDA sponsored programme in collaboration with CWSA of the GWCL, provided many of the communities in the municipality with portable drinking water. The broad objective of the study was to examine the extent to which stakeholders implement sustainable, cost-effective and environmentally friendly management options for water resources in the Ga East Municipality. 138 household heads were selected using a two-stage sampling procedure. The first stage involved the selection of the communities, and the second stage involved sampling for the household heads using systematic sampling procedure. Questionnaire was used to collect data from the respondents. A checklist was also developed to conduct discussion with relevant stakeholders. Participant observation was also employed by taking an “environmental tour” in the communities to ascertain the conditions surrounding the water facilities. The findings of the study revealed that (1) the level of participation by the beneficiary communities regarding the provision of the facility was very low, (2) majority of the respondents (over 75%) were more willing to pay extra cost for expansion and improved water services, (3) households conceded that the provision of the water has actually influenced their lives, and (4) the facility sites are well maintained. The overall results showed that the management of the water scheme is very good, except that a lot more needed to be done to expand the facility to the outskirts and to those who wish to connect the water to their homes.