The axiom “water is life and life is water” underscores the importance of water to the everyday needs of all living things including man. The global perspective on access to safe drinking water for both domestic and agriculture needs has for some time now been a major challenge. The WHO estimates that nearly 3.4 million people die annually as a result of water and sanitation related diseases and about 99 percent of this number is from developing countries. About 780 million people lack access to potable drinking water that is one in every nine people. Women spend almost 200 million hours daily collecting water for domestic chores. These findings are jaw-dropping. Ghana, as a developing country with an estimated population of 23 million is faced with these same challenges. Incidence of water related diseases have been prevalent in most rural communities in Ghana. Background check shows that Ghana’s problem in rural water supply have come as a result of low investments couple with high capital demands in carrying out annual rehabilitation works on existing facilities.
Table of Contents
1.0 BACKGROUND
1.1. Present state of rural water supplies in Ghana
1.1.1 Number of New communities/small towns pipes
1.1.2 Rehabilitation of water facilities
1.1.3 Regional Water coverage at end-2006
1.2 Climate
1.3 Geology
1.4 Snapshot of the National Community Water and Sanitation Agency in Ghana
2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 The Search for Interventions
2.2 Alternative sources of water
2.2.2 Desalination
2.2.3 Borehole/ Hand Dug Well
2.3 Wrap-up of literature reviewed
3.0 Policy Goal
3.1 The research questions for this policy proposal
3.2 Objectives of the Policy
3.3 Policy alternatives
3.4 Scope and Methodology
3.5 Limitations
3.6 How to Measure
3.7 Type of Analysis
4. ANALYSIS OF POLICY ALTERNATIVES
4.1 Discussion of Results
4.2 Sensitivity Analysis
4.3 Conclusion
4.4 Policy Recommendations
Objectives and Research Themes
This policy proposal aims to address the critical shortage of potable water in rural Ghana by evaluating the cost-effectiveness of three specific interventions—borehole construction, rainwater harvesting, and desalination—to increase rural water coverage from 52.16% to 76% by 2015.
- Analysis of rural water supply status and infrastructure maintenance in Ghana.
- Comparative cost-effectiveness analysis of three distinct water supply interventions.
- Evaluation of policy alternatives through sensitivity analysis considering discount rates and project lifespans.
- Strategic recommendations for diversifying water supply sources to mitigate risks associated with climate and rainfall patterns.
Excerpt from the Book
1.3 Geology
The country is underlain partly by what is known as the Basement Complex which comprises a wide variety of Precambrian igneous and metamorphic rocks. These crystalline rocks cover about 54 percent of the country. They can be further divided into subregions on the-basis of geology and groundwater conditions. These consist mainly of gneiss, phyllites, schists, migmatites, granite-gneiss and quartzites. About 45 percent of the country is underlain by Palaeozoic consolidated sedimentary rocks locally referred to as the Voltaian Formation and consist mainly of sandstones, shale, arkose, mudstone, sandy and pebbly beds and limestones. Both the Basement Complex and the Voltaian formation have little or no primary porosity, hence groundwater occurrence is associated with the development of secondary porosity resulting from jointing, shearing, fracturing and weathering. This has consequently given rise to two main types of aquifers which are the weathered zone and the fractured zone aquifers. The remaining 1% of the rock formations are associated with aquifer formations and are made up of Cenozoic and Mesozoic sediments which consist of unconsolidated alluvial sediments, beach sand, red continental deposits of mainly alternating limonitic sand, sandy clay gravels, marine shale, limestone and glauconitic sandstone.
Summary of Chapters
1.0 BACKGROUND: This chapter outlines the global and local context of water scarcity in Ghana, providing data on current rural water coverage, regional variations, and the history of institutional involvement in water provision.
2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW: This section appraises various water intervention strategies globally, specifically focusing on the environmental and health impacts of water-related diseases and the mechanics of rainwater harvesting, desalination, and borehole development.
3.0 Policy Goal: This chapter defines the research framework, including the primary policy objectives, the scope of the study, the methodological approach for cost-effectiveness analysis, and the limitations of the secondary data used.
4. ANALYSIS OF POLICY ALTERNATIVES: This final section presents the comparative cost data, the results of the cost-effectiveness ratios, sensitivity analyses, and the final policy recommendations for the government.
Keywords
Rural Water Supply, Ghana, Cost-Effectiveness Analysis, Borehole, Rainwater Harvesting, Desalination, Public Policy, Water Coverage, Potable Water, Infrastructure Maintenance, Sensitivity Analysis, Net Present Value, Health Policy, Sanitation, Development Framework.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this work?
The work provides a policy proposal to address the lack of potable drinking water in rural Ghana through a cost-effectiveness analysis of different water infrastructure interventions.
What are the central thematic fields covered?
The core themes include rural water infrastructure, public health, government policy frameworks, cost-effectiveness evaluation in resource-constrained environments, and environmental management of water resources.
What is the main research question or goal?
The primary goal is to determine the most cost-effective intervention among boreholes, rainwater harvesting, and desalination to raise rural water access coverage from 52.16% to 76% by 2015.
Which scientific method is applied?
The study utilizes a quantitative financial analysis approach, specifically Cost-Effectiveness Analysis (CEA), comparing the total annual cost of interventions against the improvement in water consumption per household.
What does the main part of the report cover?
The main body examines the status of existing water facilities, reviews global literature on interventions, defines the policy goals, and provides a rigorous calculation of projected costs, CER, and sensitivity tests.
How is the work characterized by keywords?
The work is characterized by terms such as rural water supply, cost-effectiveness analysis, infrastructure, public policy, and sustainable water management.
How does the author justify the inclusion of desalination?
The author argues that while desalination is more expensive, it provides a necessary diversified source of water for coastal communities, especially as climate change renders rainfall patterns less predictable.
What is the conclusion regarding Rainwater Harvesting?
The analysis concludes that, based on current cost projections and consistency, rainwater harvesting offers the lowest cost-effectiveness ratio and is the most economically viable option for augmentation.
How do the sensitivity analyses affect the findings?
The sensitivity analyses, which varied discount rates and project lifespans, confirmed that the results are stable, meaning the original ranking of the interventions is robust despite potential changes in underlying assumptions.
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- PhD student Joseph Ato Forson (Autor:in), 2012, Rural Water Supply, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/207596
