Data | |
---|---|
Water coverage (broad definition) | 78% (2015) [1] |
Sanitation coverage (broad definition) | 14% (2015) [1] (Share of collected wastewater treated: about 10% in Accra [2] ) |
Continuity of supply | 25% in Accra [3] |
Average urban water use (L/person/day) | n/a |
Average urban water and sanitation tariff (US$/m3) | GHS3.01/m3 (US$0.76/m3) [4] |
Share of household metering | n/a |
Annual investment in WSS | US$0.7 per capita [5] |
Share of external financing | About 90% development assistance [6] |
Institutions | |
Decentralization to municipalities | In rural areas: Decentralization to districts, since 1994 |
National water and sanitation company | Yes: Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) |
Water and sanitation regulator | In urban areas: Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) |
Responsibility for policy setting | Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources [7] |
Sector law | various |
No. of urban service providers | 1: GWCL |
No. of rural service providers | more than 400 community-managed piped systems [8] |
The water supply and sanitation sector in Ghana is a sector that is in charge of the supply of healthy water and also improves the sanitation of water bodies in the country.
In Ghana, the drinking water supply and sanitation sectors face a number of issues, including relatively limited sanitation access, intermittent supply, significant water losses, poor water pressure, and pollution. Since 1994, the sector has been gradually reformed through the creation of an autonomous regulatory agency, introduction of private sector participation, decentralization of the rural supply to 138 districts and increased community participation in the management of rural water systems. [9] [10]
Between 2006 and 2011 an international company (AVRL) managed all urban water systems since under a 5-year management contract which expired after achieving only some of its objectives [11] . The reforms also aim at increasing cost recovery and a modernization of the urban utility Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL). [9] Another problem which partly arose from the recent reforms is the existence of a multitude of institutions with overlapping responsibilities. The National Water Policy (NWP), which was launched at the beginning of 2008, introduced a comprehensive sector policy. [12] The National Water Policy was reviewed with an updated version in 2024. [13]
The water supply and sanitation infrastructure is insufficient, especially in rural areas. There are substantial discrepancies between access data from various sources, partially because of different definitions being used by different institutions that are providing access data. According to the Joint Monitoring Program for Water Supply and Sanitation of UNICEF and WHO, access to water and sanitation is as follows:
Urban (51% of the population) | Rural (49% of the population) | Total | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Water [1] | 'At least basic' definition | 88% | 66% | 78% |
House connections | 33% | 3% | 18% | |
Sanitation [1] | 'At least basic' definition | 19% | 9% | 14% |
Sewerage | ? | ? | ? |
According to the United Nations 2015 MDG report, the target of halving the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water has been attained in Ghana. [14] The share of non-functional supply systems in Ghana is estimated at almost one third, with many others operating substantially below designed capacity. Moreover, domestic water supply competes with a rising demand for water by the expanding industry and agriculture sectors. [15]
About 88% of the urban population in Ghana have access to at least basic drinking water. [16] Disparities exist between urban and rural safe drinking water access. According to the Ghana Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey of 2011, urban dwellers are more likely to have access to safe drinking water than the rural dwellers at 91% and 69%, respectively. [16] Consequently, dependency on unsafe water sources is higher in rural areas. [17] The turbidites of most local surface waters in rural areas are greater than 200 NTUs (nephelometric turbidity units) and contain high microbial and fecal contamination, putting children and the rest of the population at high risk for water-related diseases. [18]
Compared to the rest of Ghana, the three northern regions of Ghana are particularly deprived of clean drinking water, with one in ten children dying before their fifth birthday due to some water-related illnesses. [19] In the main Northern Region of Ghana alone, 32% of the 2.5 million residents lack access to improved water sources and must often resort to contaminated drinking-water. [16] Regarding sanitation, only 14% of the total population of Ghana are using an improved sanitation facility as of 2010. [20]
Improved Drinking Water Source | Unimproved Drinking Water Source |
Household connection | Rivers or ponds |
Borehole | Bucket |
Protected dug well | Unprotected well |
Protected spring | Unprotected spring |
Public Standpipe | Vendor-provided water |
Tanker truck water | |
Bottled (and sachet) water |
This table presents the classifications of improved and unimproved water sources in Ghana since the end of the Millennium Development Goals, according to the WHO and UNICEF. [21] As of the end of 2015, improved water sources included household water pipes, boreholes, protected dug wells and springs, and public standpipes. [22]
According to one estimate, one quarter of the residents in Accra receive a continuous water supply. Approximately 30% are provided water for 12 hours each day, five days a week. Another 35% are supplied for two days each week. The remaining 10% who mainly live on the outskirts of the capital are completely without access to piped water. [3] According to another source, the situation is even worse: In February 2008 some communities within the Accra-Tema metropolis were served either once in a week, once in a fortnight or once in a month. [23]
The continuity of water supply in rural areas and the Northern Region of Ghana are less frequent. Particularly in rural areas, locals are forced to fetch their own water from a variety of water sources depending on location: [18]
The lack of clean drinking water and sanitation systems is a severe public health concern in Ghana, contributing to 70% of diseases in Ghana. Despite significant strive by the government and its developing partners, about 76% of households risk drinking water contaminated with animal and human excreta. [25] Widespread use of plastic drinking water sachets due to lack of available potable water has also led to increased plastic pollution, often polluting water bodies, choking storm-water drains and causing death of livestock. [26] The country's gold mining industry has polluted 60% of Ghana's waters. [27] [28]
Due to unclean water and improper sanitation, Ghana has 1,000 children under five years old dying each year from diarrhea, caused by polluted water. [29] The water that they get from ponds, lakes or rivers is of bad quality. Consequently, households without access to clean water are forced to use less reliable and hygienic sources, and often pay more. [30]
Contaminated drinking water, along with poor sanitation, are linked to transmission of water-related diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea, dysentery, hepatitis A, typhoid and polio. [31] Due to drinking contaminated water, diarrheal disease is the third most commonly reported illness at health centers across Ghana. 25% of all deaths in children under the age of five are attributed to diarrhea. [32] In addition to lack of sanitation infrastructure, some cultural beliefs and views encourage open defecation. Of the total population in Ghana, 23% use open defecation as their sanitation facility. [16] As many as 72% of people in the Northern Region open defecate, making it the region with the highest prevalence of open defecation in Ghana [16]
The majority of waterborne illnesses are enteric diseases (i.e. intestinal diseases) transmitted through the fecal-oral route. [33] In the transmission pathways of disease through water contamination, human feces from public defecation end up in water sewages and non-recycling latrines, which is then collected in the local surface waters by rainfall and ingested by local inhabitants through direct exposure, absorption and ingestion. Surface waters are the main drinking-water source for the communities of Northern Region, Ghana. [18]
In 2024 at a stakeholder conference, Ing Harold Esseku, Senior Water and Sanitation Specialist at the World Bank disclosed that Ghana is on the path to improving water quality by 2030. [34]
The main traditional sources of water in many parts of rural Ghana are small ponds and unprotected wells, both of which are really easily polluted, causing diseases to the people who drink it (Oxfam). More than 50% of the rural population in Ghana also rely on unsafe water resources from vendors (Ghana Clean Water Project). This brings many diseases. The water contains parasites and a high microbial content, as well as dangerous minerals. Many people, mostly children, suffer from many diseases caused by this water, and some of them may even be deadly. [35]
Not only does this water affect people's health, it also affects education. For example, in some places in Ghana, children, mostly girls, are denied their right to go to school because their schools don't have private sanitation facilities. Instead, they are expected to spend the whole day fetching water. This affects their education and makes it harder for the country to develop faster. If the people had more clean water resources and sanitation the girls wouldn't be denied their right to go to school, therefore, they would have an education and would increase the number of educated people in Ghana. [36] All things considered, the water issues that Ghana is dealing with doesn't only affect the population with disease, but it also affects with the education. This does not happen too often, but it happens in some parts of Ghana, usually rural areas. [35]
It is estimated that in 2000 the urban areas of Ghana generated about 763,698 m3 of wastewater each day, resulting in approximately 280 million m3 over the entire year. Regional capitals count for another 180 million m3. [37] Only a small share of the generated urban wastewater is collected, and an even smaller share is being treated. Inadequate management of urban, industrial and agricultural wastewater often means that the drinking-water of millions of people is either dangerously contaminated or chemically polluted. [31]
In the capital city Accra, the share of wastewater collected is approximately 10%. Moreover, less than 25% of the 46 industrial and municipal treatment plants in Ghana were functional according to an inventory undertaken by the Ghana Environmental Protection Agency in 2001. Treatment plants for municipal wastewater are operated by local governments, and most of them are stabilization ponds. [38] A biological treatment plant has been built in the late 1990s at Accra's Korle Lagoon. However, it only handles about 8% of Accra's wastewater. [2]
Ghana is well endowed with water resources. The Volta river system basin, consisting of the Oti, Daka, Pru, Sene and Afram rivers as well as the white and Black Volta rivers, covers 70% of the country area. Another 22% of Ghana is covered by the southwestern river system watershed comprising the Bia, Tano, Ankobra and Pra rivers. The coastal river system watershed, comprising the Ochi-Nawuka, Ochi Amissah, Ayensu, Densu and Tordzie rivers, covers the remaining 8% of Ghana.
Furthermore, groundwater is available in mesozoic and cenozoic sedimentary rocks and in sedimentary formations underlying the Volta basin. The Volta Lake, with a surface of 8,500 km2, is one of the world's largest artificial lakes. In all, the total actual renewable water resources are estimated to be 53.2 billion m³ per year. [39]
In 2000, total water withdrawal was 982 million m³, of which two-thirds were used for agricultural purposes. Another 10% was withdrawn for industry, leaving 24% or 235 million m³ for domestic use. Furthermore, 37,843 km3 are used for hydroelectricity generation at the Akosombo Dam each year. [40]
Archaeological work in the house ruins of Begho (12th–19th century) have revealed the existence of cisterns which were on average, two meters deep. [41] In 1817, Thomas Edward Bowdich documented upon the sanitation methods in the Ashanti Empire including the prevalence of latrines across the houses of Kumasi.
What surprised me most... was the discovery that every house had its cloacae (latrine), besides the common ones for the lower orders without the town. They were generally situated under a small archway in the most retired angle of the building, but not unfrequently upstairs, within a separate room like a small closet where the large hollow pillar also assists to support the upper story: the holes are of small circumference, but dug to a surprising depth, and boiling water is daily poured down, which effectually prevents the least offence....
— Bowdich, 1817. [42]
In 1821, William Hutton confirmed Bowdich's observations.
Mr. Bowdich's observations regarding the houses being provided with cloacaes and the general cleanliness of the Ashantees are correct; and there can be no doubt that in the arrangement of their dwellings they are superior to many of their neighbours....
— Hutton, 1821. [42]
Bowdich recorded in the early 19th century, that rubbish and waste from all houses were burnt every morning behind the streets. According to scholar Donna Maier, a Public Works Department existed in the Ashanti Empire under the stool called Akwammofo Akonnwa. This department was responsible for cleaning the streets of Kumasi daily and it ensured that the people had kept their compounds clean and weeded. [42] [43]
In 1928, the first piped water supply system was constructed at Cape Coast. The Water Supply Division of the Public Works Department was responsible for the service provision in rural and urban areas of Ghana. After Ghana's independence in 1957, the division was separated from the Public Works Department and placed under the Ministry of Works and Housing. In 1965, it was transformed into the Ghana Water and Sewerage Corporation (GWSC), a legal public utility responsible for the provision of urban and rural water supply for public, domestic, and industrial purposes as well as the establishment, operation, and control of sewerage systems.
In the mid-1990s, under the Presidency of Jerry Rawlings and after the passing of a new democratic Constitution in 1992, the government of Ghana enacted five key laws that affected the responsibility for water supply and sanitation:
In 1999, the responsibility to support communities in the provision of water supply and sanitation in more than 110 small towns and in rural areas was transferred to the District Assemblies. Sanitation also became a responsibility of the District Assemblies, both in urban and rural areas. [3] Furthermore, the government pursued private sector participation in urban water supply with the assistance of the World Bank through preparatory studies and workshops, but without actually bringing in the private sector yet.
To carry out the private sector participation of GWCL, originally a 10-year lease contract was envisaged. In 2000, a lease contract between GWCL and the US company Azurix failed due to public opposition and accusations of corruption which led to the formation of the Coalition against Water Privatization. [47] In October 2006, under the Presidency of John Kufuor and with the support of the World Bank-funded Urban Water Project (see below) a five-year management contract was signed between the GWCL and Aqua Vitens Rand Limited (AVRL), a consortium of the Dutch public water company Vitens and the South African public company Rand Water. The main objectives of the 5-year management contract were:
In rural areas, the powers and resources of District Assemblies were strengthened through the Local Government Service Act 656 of 2003. The Act transferred the power to appoint, promote and discipline civil servants from the national government to the District Assemblies. In 2006 a Districts Development Fund was created to channel central government and donor funds in a transparent and effective way to District Assemblies. An Environmental, Health and Sanitation Directorate was created in the Ministry of Local Governments and Rural Development in 2009 to focus more on sanitation. In this context a program was launched to eliminate open defecation through community-led total sanitation. [51]
According to a multi-donor review of Ghana's water supply sector, it is "quite well structured", with the government in charge of policy and regulation, while the private sector and communities play important roles in service delivery. [52] The institutional framework for sanitation is much less clear, with responsibilities not being clearly defined.
At the moment, a number of institutions exist to supervise and regulate water supply and sanitation. The policy framework is based on the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS). [53]
General water sector policies for both rural and urban areas are set by the Water Directorate within the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing (MWRWH). Furthermore, the ministry solicits funding from external support agencies, monitors the sector, and advises the Cabinet. [44] The Water Sector Restructuring Secretariat, created in 1997 in the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing, oversees the process of private sector participation in the sector. [54]
The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development shares responsibility for setting sanitation policies and coordinating funding for the sub-sector with MWRWH. The government promotes decentralization so that sanitation policies are expected to be carried out by Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies. To enforce environmental quality laws, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Ministry of Environment and Science is expected to examine the impact of sanitation development activities on the environment.
To overcome the lack of coordination between the numerous sector institutions, the Minister of Water Resources, Works, and Housing, Abubakar Saddique Boniface, launched a National Water Policy (NWP) in February 2008, which covers water resources management, water supply and sanitation. Although the sector has made progress, a lack of coherence in policy formulation resulted in a multitude of implementation strategies. The NWP aimed to formulate a comprehensive sector policy and to make it easier for development partners to provide the necessary support to the sector. [55] The NWP had been prepared by the Water Resources Commission (WRC) since 2002. [12]
Lands Minister, Samuel Abu Jinapor has re-assured the general public that Ghana's water supply is safe and consumable despite massive concerns of illegal mining activities impacting natural water bodies in the country. [56] [57]
The Ghana Water Company Ltd. (GWCL) is responsible for providing, distributing, and conserving water for domestic, public, and industrial purposes in 82 urban systems in localities with more than 5,000 inhabitants. Local private companies are in charge of meter installation, customer billing, and revenue collection. [58] Urban sanitation is a responsibility of local governments. [59]
The Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) is in charge of coordinating and facilitating the implementation of the National Community Water and Sanitation Programme (NCWSP) in rural areas, which is carried out directly by the communities and their District Assemblies. The NCWSP focuses on three main objectives to achieve health improvements: safe water supply, hygiene education, and improved sanitation. [60]
The CWSA was created in 1994 under the framework of the Ghana decentralization policy and became autonomous in 1998. The institution does not directly construct, operate, and maintain facilities for water supply and sanitation. Instead, its role is to coordinate the work of a number of actors which carry out the services in rural areas, including public sector organizations, local beneficiary communities, private sector organizations, and NGOs. The CWSA is also expected to ensure that financial support from development partners is effectively used and to ensure hygiene education. The agency operates ten regional offices besides its head office in Accra. [61]
In communities with fewer than 5,000 inhabitants, water supply systems are owned and managed by the respective community on a demand-driven basis. According to the NCWSP, these systems do not receive any cross-subsidies and 5% of investment costs are paid by District Assemblies. [62] Communities and in rural areas and small towns elect gender-balanced water and sanitation boards consisting of volunteers, including one or two village-based caretakers who received special training in repair and maintenance. [44] [63] Communities can contract private companies or NGOs to provide technical assistance, goods, or services. [64]
Local companies drill boreholes and build hand-dug wells, and local artisans are used to provide household latrines. [58] Maintenance units of CWSA have been privatized and the regional companies created through this process now perform major repairs on behalf of District Assemblies. Minor repairs are carried out by area mechanics. [65] The communities' water and sanitation boards receive technical assistance by District Water and Sanitation Teams (DWST), ideally consisting of an engineer, a hygiene expert, and a community mobilizer. [63] However, in some districts these teams are so weak that the regional teams of CWSA resort to providing direct assistance to local water and sanitation boards. [51]
The Ghana Coalition of NGOs in Water and Sanitation (CONIWAS), created in 2001, "works in partnership with sector players to influence policies, remove barriers and promote access to potable water, sanitation and improved hygiene for the poor and vulnerable." According to the coalition, giving NGOs one voice for advocacy and lobbying has been one of its major benefits. [66]
Innovations for Poverty Action
Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) was founded in 2002 as a research and policy non-profit organization that aims to discover and promote effective solutions to global poverty issues. IPA recruits researchers and decision-makers to measure the impacts of interventions in the areas of agriculture, education, health, financial inclusion, governance, peace & recovery, small & medium enterprises, and social protection among 18 country programs. [67] Randomized Control Trials (RCT) and other forms of qualitative research are conducted to achieve this, including the Clean Water in Northern Ghana research study. [68] This study assesses the willingness of households in Northern Ghana to purchase the Kosim filter that is sold by Pure Home Water (PHW), a Ghana-based NGO. The study also aims to measure the health effects of household-level water treatment in areas whose populations have a high risk of waterborne disease. [69]
Pure Home Water
Pure Home Water (PHW) is a Ghana-based NGO and a social enterprise. [70] Founded in 2005, PHW was designed to be a manufacturer of ceramic pot water filters located in the northern city of Tamale, Ghana. Its two goals include delivering aid to the people most in need of safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in Northern Ghana, and to become financially and locally self-sustaining. This is accomplished by providing training and monitoring of correct, consistent and continuous (3Cs) use of the AfriClay filter. They also build and disseminate hand-washing stations and sanitation facilities throughout villages in the Northern Region. PHW is a partnered organization of Innovations for Poverty Action. [71] [72]
Saha Global
Saha Global (formerly known as Community Water Solutions) is a Boston, Massachusetts-based nonprofit founded in 2008 that aims to meet the water and energy needs of Ghanaian communities in the Northern Region. Saha Global works to empower the women of rural Ghanaian communities to provide access to clean water and electricity through the provision of business opportunities. This is accomplished by bringing young leaders from throughout the world to Ghana through its Global Leadership Program. While in Ghana, participants train local women to build businesses which can channel revenue back into their local communities. As of 2016, 84 clean water businesses and 20 solar electric businesses have been created with the aid of Saha Global, and 100% of these businesses are in full operation to date. [73]
Water.org
Water.org is an American and international nonprofit developmental aid organization designed to deliver access to safe water and sanitation around the world by pioneering innovative and sustainable solutions to the global water crisis. This organization was founded in 1990 after the merging of two water NGOs: H2O Africa, co-founded by Matt Damon, and WaterPartners, co-founded by Gary White. Through its efforts in making water and sanitation safe, accessible and cost-effective, Water.org has continued to deliver aid to more than four million lives around the world for over 25 years. [74]
Currently, Water.org is working in two rural areas in Ghana: Volta Region and Upper East Region. These districts are among the poorest of the country, with less than half of the population having little access to safe drinking water and fewer families having access to improved sanitation. Additionally, the rural communities in these regions suffer greatly from waterborne diseases, including diarrhea. Water.org works with local communities and partner organizations, such as Rural Aid, to construct wells, latrines and biosand filters in Ghana as well as to provide health and hygiene education. [75] [76]
According to the Water Sector Restructuring Secretariat non-revenue water in urban areas stands at approximately 50% of the produced water, i.e. it is lost, among other things, due to leakage and illegal connections. [77] According to a Ghanaian radio station, a survey showed that 3,000 out of 15,000 connections were illegal while 20 minor leaks were found. [78] Furthermore, most of those connected to water supply do not pay their bills. [79] At least at the end of the 1990s, the Ghanaian government participated in that poor payment culture. [80]
As part of the efforts to reduce system losses, in February 2008 the Accra East Region of AVRL-GWCL has caused the arrest of ten illegal connection syndicates in the Adenta community. They had constructed huge underground reservoirs which served as a source of water for private water tanker operators. The tanker operators buy water from these illegal sources and sell it to private individuals at Ashaley Botwe at high prices. [81]
It is estimated that in 2010, GWCL had 7.2 per 1,000 connections. This figure is in line with regional levels. [48] However, international good practice is less than 4 employees per 1,000 connections.
Water tariffs in Ghana are too low to recover the costs of the service. Water tariffs in rural areas tend to be higher than in urban areas.
Urban areas. In December 2015 the regulator PURC approved a 67.2% increase in urban water tariffs. Tariffs were increased from GHS1.78/m3 ($0.45/m3) to GHS3.01/m3 (US$0.76/m3). The average monthly bill for a family of five will reach GHS10.00 ($2.50). Ghana Water had requested a 400% tariff increase to fully cover costs, but the regulator had pared down the request substantially, citing concerns about affordability. [4] Between 1990 and 1997, the average water tariff in Ghana's urban areas had been in the range of US$0.10 to US$0.15 per m³. [82] [83]
At that time, the Government was not willing to approve major tariff increases. The situation changed with the creation of the regulatory agency PURC which autonomously examines and approves public service tariffs, resulting in an average water tariff of about US$0.50 in 2004. [80] In 2006, GWCL's tariff for the first 20m³ consumed was US$0.55 per m³, whereas US$0.76 were charged for each m³ exceeding 20m³ within a month. [82] [83] Subsequently, the USD equivalent of tariffs decreased again with the local currency losing in value.
Rural areas. According to the CWSA's policy, the water tariff in rural areas should recover the supply cost of the service, including operation, maintenance, major repairs, replacements, and extension to new areas. Tariffs are set by the District Assemblies in rural areas. [44] However, the supply cost should be low enough to not result in a tariff of more than US$1 per m³. A study conducted in five community-managed piped systems in the Ashanti Region found an average tariff of about US$0.60 per m³ in 2003, which actually covers between 57 and 77% of the full supply cost. [84]
Another study which was carried out in 2005 indicates an average monthly expenditure for water of US$0.99 in 97 sample villages in the Volta Region and US$0.89 in 103 villages in the Brong Ahafo Region per household. However, in nearly 70% of the villages in Volta and only 40% of the villages in Brong Ahafo, at least 90% of the interviewed households actually paid for water. Where water use is charged, it is done through a fixed system or a pay-as-you-fetch system. [85]
Since economic efficiency as well as cost recovery in the sector are extremely low, financing water and sanitation investments in Ghana relies heavily on external funding. According to one estimate 90% of the total investment in the sector in the 1990s was made by external agencies, [6] which contributed about US$500 million for the sector between 1990 and 2003. It is worth mentioning that sanitation generally receives much less attention. [86] According to another estimate, more than 96% of expected financing in 2006 will be from external donors. [52]
Despite the strong engagement of international donors, funding remains insufficient to achieve the Millennium Development Goals for water and sanitation, aiming at halving the share of the population without access to these services by 2015 compared to 1990. According to one estimate, the expansion and rehabilitation of urban infrastructure requires investments of US$1.3 billion over an unspecified period. [30] Annual investment needs in water supply and sanitation are estimated by another source at US$150 million. Expected investment funding for 2006 was US$85 million, or 57% of the needs. [52]
Actual annual investments in urban areas have been estimated by the Water Sector Restructuring Secretariat at around US$40 million per year, having "recently" declined to only US$17 million per year (without specifying which year). The US$40m figure for urban areas corresponds to about US$4 per capita, an average level compared to other low-income countries. [87]
Private investments were mobilized through a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) project for a seawater desalination plant in Accra. The 25-year contract for the financing, construction and operation of a 60,000 cubic meter per day plant was awarded in 2012. Water will be sold at US$1.36/cubic meter to GWCL, with a guarantee from the Ministry of Finance. The World Bank subsidiary MIGA insures the package against political risk. Funding comes from the South African Standard Bank (US$88.7m) and the shareholder Abengoa Water ($38.1m). GWCL ruled out further desalination projects citing the country's abundant water resources and the need to quickly find a solution for the quickly growing Nungua area where the plant will be located. [88]
The International Finance Corporation (IFC) supports the Asutsuare Water Treatment Plant, a 500 million Euro Build, Own, Operate and Transfer (BOOT) project with GWCL developed by the Belgian contractor Denys. It includes a water treatment plant with a capacity of 432,000 m3/day, located downstream from the Kpong Dam on the Volta River and two pipelines, each of approximately 73 km to Grand Accra, as well as two water reservoirs. [89]
Major donors active in water supply and sanitation in Ghana are the African Development Bank, Canada, Denmark, the EU Commission, France, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, and the World Bank. There is a Multi-Donor Budgetary Support Mechanism, a Water and Sanitation Sector Group as well as Joint Sector Annual Review Conferences between the government and its "development partners" (donors). [51]
The African Development Bank contributes to the Accra Sewerage Improvement Project (ASIP) with a loan of US$69 million, while the Government of Ghana provides US$8.6 million. The project was approved by the ADB in 2006 and is expected to be implemented within five years. In this time, two treatment plants and eight pumping stations are expected to be built. Moreover, sewerage networks and sanitation facilities will be extended and rehabilitated. The project also supports environmental measures, institutional strengthening, engineering services, and project management. [90]
The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) supports the water supply and sanitation sector in Ghana's northern regions through three projects:
Germany supports rural water supply and sanitation as part of its support for Ghana's decentralization program. Together with other donors Germany supports the District Development Facility since 2009, established under the lead of the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development. Until 2014, Germany cofinances up to 36 million euros of a total 210 million euros. The remainder is financed by other donors and the Ghanaian Government, which provides a third of the funding. The District Development Facility provides funds to District Assemblies that have to follow strict rules concerning transparency and accountability which are independently monitored. Districts that manage their funds well also receive more funds. [94]
A previous rural water supply project supported by Germany was rated satisfactorily in an ex-post evaluation conducted in 2005. The evaluation found, among other things, that three to eight years after their construction only 4 percent of the wells had fallen completely in disuse, while 76 percent were functioning and 20 percent were temporarily out of order. The evaluation also found that in 28 percent of water samples the iron content was high and that water from other sources than the wells built under the project was still used for various purposes, including drinking. [65]
The World Bank supports both rural and urban water supply in Ghana.
Community Water and Sanitation Program (CWSP) The Second Community Water and Sanitation Program was initiated in 2000 with support of a World Bank IDA credit of US$21.9 million, aiming at increasing access and supporting effective and sustained use of improved community water supply and sanitation services in villages and small towns through a demand-driven approach. It built on lessons learned from the first Community Water and Sanitation Program which had been carried out from 1994 to 2000. [95]
A large-scale decentralization approach in the planning, implementation, and management of water supply and sanitation in Ghana was one of the main characteristics of the second program. Moreover, the communities were given technical assistance and hygiene education. Gender-balanced water and sanitation committees were set up to actively engage and include NGOs, private sector actors, and District Assemblies. As a result of the program, which ended in 2004, nearly 800,000 people were provided with potable water and almost 6,000 households and 440 schools were provided with latrines. [95]
Small Towns Water Supply and Sanitation Project The Small Towns Water Supply and Sanitation Project was approved by the World Bank in 2004 with a loan of US$26 million. In 2007 the World Bank decided to support the project with an additional credit of US$10 million. The German development agency GTZ contributes to the project with US$400,000, while the Government of Ghana provides US$4.6 million.
The project will end in 2009 and aims at increasing water supply and sanitation access to small towns in six Ghanaian regions, providing about 500,000 people with water supply facilities and about 50,000 people with sanitary facilities. Therefore, the project supports the planning, construction, and rehabilitation of water and sanitation systems in small towns and provides hygiene promotion, training, and technical assistance. In addition, the CWSA is supported by a management fee equal to 5% of the funds disbursed to support the incremental costs of the project. [96]
Urban Water Project In 2004, the World Bank's Board approved a credit of US$103 million for the Urban Water Project, which was later turned into a grant. The Nordic Development Fund contributes another US$5 million, while the Government of Ghana provides the remaining US$12 million of the US$120 million project. [97]
The main objectives of the program, which will end in 2010, are to (i) significantly increase access to water supply systems in the urban areas of Ghana with an emphasis on improving the service for the urban poor; and (ii) restoring the long-term financial stability, viability, and sustainability of the GWCL. It provides technical assistance and training. Moreover, the Urban Water Project supports private sector participation and thus contributed to the management contract between GWCL and AVRL. [98]
Water supply and sanitation in Colombia have been improved in many ways over the past decades. Between 1990 and 2010, access to improved sanitation increased from 67% to 82%, but access to improved water sources increased only slightly from 89% to 94%. In particular, coverage in rural areas lags behind. Furthermore, despite improvements, the quality of water and sanitation services remains inadequate. For example, only 73% of those receiving public services receive water of potable quality and in 2006 only 25% of the wastewater generated in the country underwent any kind of treatment.
Water supply and sanitation in Chile were once considered efficient and equitable but in 2022 Chile struggled to reliably provide water throughout the country due to drought. Chile's water resources have been strained by the Chilean water crisis, which was partially caused by a continuing megadrought that began in 2010, along with an increased demand for agricultural and other commercial interests.
Drinking water and sanitation in Nicaragua are provided by a national public utility in urban areas and water committees in rural areas. Despite relatively high levels of investment, access to drinking water in urban areas has barely kept up with population growth, access to urban sanitation has actually declined and service quality remains poor. However, a substantial increase in access to water supply and sanitation has been reached in rural areas.
Costa Rica has made significant progress in the past decade in expanding access to water supply and sanitation, but the sector faces key challenges in low sanitation connections, poor service quality, and low cost recovery.
Water supply and sanitation in Indonesia is characterized by poor levels of access and service quality. More than 16 million people lack access to an at least basic water source and almost 33 million of the country's 275 million population has no access to at least basic sanitation. Only about 2% of people have access to sewerage in urban areas; this is one of the lowest in the world among middle-income countries. Water pollution is widespread on Bali and Java. Women in Jakarta report spending US$11 per month on boiling water, implying a significant burden for the poor.
Water supply and sanitation in China is undergoing a massive transition while facing numerous challenges such as rapid urbanization, increasing economic inequality, and the supply of water to rural areas. Water scarcity and pollution also impact access to water.
The drinking water supply and sanitation sector in Guatemala is characterized by low and inconsistent service coverage, especially in rural areas; unclear allocation of management responsibilities; and little or no regulation and monitoring of service provision.
Water supply and sanitation in Rwanda is characterized by a clear government policy and significant donor support. In response to poor sustainability of rural water systems and poor service quality, in 2002 local government in the Northern Byumba Province contracted out service provision to the local private sector in a form of public–private partnership. Support for public-private partnerships became a government policy in 2004 and locally initiated public-private partnerships spread rapidly, covering 25% of rural water systems as of 2007.
The Philippines' contemporary water supply system dates back to 1946, after the country declared independence. Government agencies, local institutions, non-government organizations, and other corporations are primarily in charge of the operation and administration of water supply and sanitation in the country.
Bangladesh is faced with multiple water quality and quantity problems along with regular natural disasters, such as cyclones and floods. Available options for providing safe drinking water include tubewells, traditionally dug wells, treatment of surface water, desalination of groundwater with high salinity levels and rainwater harvesting.
Water privatisation in Ghana has been discussed since the early 1990s as a reaction to poor service quality and low efficiency of the existing urban water utility. The World Bank supported the process of private sector participation in the urban water sector from the beginning. After many tribulations a 5-year management contract was awarded in 2006. When the contract expired in 2011, the government decided not to extend it, saying that the private operator had not lived up to expectations.
Drinking water supply and sanitation in Benin has been subject to considerable progress since the 1990s, in particular in rural areas, where coverage is higher than in many other African countries, and almost all development partners follow a national demand-responsive strategy, which has been adopted in 1992. New strategies to increase water supply in rural and urban areas have been adopted in 2005 and 2006. Tariffs in urban and rural areas are usually high enough to cover the costs for operation and maintenance.
Drinking water supply and sanitation in Pakistan is characterized by some achievements and many challenges. In 2020, 68% Pakistanis, 72% Indians, 54% Bangladeshi had access to the basic sanitation facilities. Despite high population growth the country has increased the share of the population with access to an improved water source from 85% in 1990 to 92% in 2010, although this does not necessarily mean that the water from these sources is safe to drink. The share with access to improved sanitation increased from 27% to 38% during the same period, according to the Joint Monitoring Program for Water Supply and Sanitation. There has also been considerable innovation at the grass-root level, in particular concerning sanitation. The Orangi Pilot Project in Karachi and community-led total sanitation in rural areas are two examples of such innovation.
Water supply and sanitation in Mozambique is characterized by low levels of access to at least basic water sources, low levels of access to at least basic sanitation and mostly poor service quality. In 2007 the government has defined a strategy for water supply and sanitation in rural areas, where 62% of the population lives. In urban areas, water is supplied by informal small-scale providers and by formal providers.
Water supply and sanitation in Zambia is characterized by achievements and challenges. Among the achievements are the creation of regional commercial utilities for urban areas to replace fragmented service provision by local governments; the establishment of a regulatory agency that has substantially improved the availability of information on service provision in urban areas; the establishment of a devolution trust fund to focus donor support on poor peri-urban areas; and an increase in the access to water supply in rural areas.
Tunisia has achieved the highest access rates to water supply and sanitation services among the Middle East and North Africa. As of 2011, access to safe drinking water became close to universal approaching 100% in urban areas and 90% in rural areas. Tunisia provides good quality drinking water throughout the year.
Water supply and sanitation in Tanzania is characterised by: decreasing access to at least basic water sources in the 2000s, steady access to some form of sanitation, intermittent water supply and generally low quality of service. Many utilities are barely able to cover their operation and maintenance costs through revenues due to low tariffs and poor efficiency. There are significant regional differences and the best performing utilities are Arusha and Tanga.
Water supply and sanitation in Burkina Faso are characterized by high access to water supply in urban areas, while access to an at least basic water sources in rural areas – where three quarters of the population live – remains relatively low. An estimated one third of water facilities in rural areas are out of service because of a lack of maintenance. Access to at least basic sanitation lags significantly behind access to water supply.
Responsibility of water supply in Nigeria is shared between three (3) levels of government – federal, state and local. The federal government is in charge of water resources management; state governments have the primary responsibility for urban water supply; and local governments together with communities are responsible for rural water supply. The responsibility for sanitation is not clearly defined.
Water supply and sanitation in Vietnam is characterized by challenges and achievements. Among the achievements is a substantial increase in access to water supply and sanitation between 1990 and 2010, nearly universal metering, and increased investment in wastewater treatment since 2007. Among the challenges are continued widespread water pollution, poor service quality, low access to improved sanitation in rural areas, poor sustainability of rural water systems, insufficient cost recovery for urban sanitation, and the declining availability of foreign grant and soft loan funding as the Vietnamese economy grows and donors shift to loan financing. The government also promotes increased cost recovery through tariff revenues and has created autonomous water utilities at the provincial level, but the policy has had mixed success as tariff levels remain low and some utilities have engaged in activities outside their mandate.
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