Sources of Rural Water Supply in Ghana

Abstract

The communities in Ghana have been classified into “City and Urban” for those with populations of 5,000 and above. “Rural” communities encompass those with populations under 5,000. Consequently, on the basis of the 1984 population census, there are about 55,967 rural communities forming 68 percent of the total population of the country. These rural communities have traditionally relied on surface and groundwater sources for their water supply needs. The surface water sources include dug-wells, ponds, dugouts, impoundments from dams, ephemeral streams and rainwater harvesting from roofs. Groundwater supplies to the rural communities are obtained from hand-dug wells with or without hand pumps, boreholes fitted with hand pumps, and springs. These traditional sources of rural water supply, and their associated problems, the attempts made or those being made to solve the identified problems, and the successes so far achieved are highlighted in this paper

Keywords:

• Africa
• boreholes
• groundwater
• hand-dug wells
• rainwater harvesting
• rural
• springs
• water resources