Promoting rainwater harvesting for improving water security: Analysis of drivers and barriers in Ghana

Abstract

The study explored strategies and means of achieving wider acceptability and adoption of roof rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems in Ghana to improve water security and availability. The paper employed a qualitative approach in analyzing views expressed by a wide range of stakeholders participating in a workshop on the potential for up-scaling successful RWH technology. Dialogue and content analysis of the views on drivers and barriers to the uptake of RWH technology on a wider scale were synthesized to establish the sustainability of the technology. Some drivers identified included encouraging local fabrication industries to design and/or develop RWH installation components; using the cluster approach in the implementation of RWH technology to ensure cost-effectiveness and wider adoption of the system; and employing the media including television and radio to disseminate the socioeconomic and environmental benefits of the RWH system. Barriers to adoption of the RWH system identified included limited information, high cost of the system, limited institutional support and focus by developers as well as negative perceptions on sustainability and portability from the system. This paper demonstrates the significance of the RWH system as a tool for achieving water security in Ghana. We recommend that to promote wide adoption of the RWH system future studies should investigate the physical and chemical characteristics of harvested rainwater to establish a suitable and acceptable standard for obtained water.

Keywords:

• adoption
• barriers
• drivers
• Ghana and rainwater harvesting system

Acknowledgement

We acknowledge the RWH project (implemented by the CSIR-Ghana and SINTEF-Norway) for supporting the use of outputs from the stakeholders’ engagement workshop for this paper. We are also grateful to the diverse stakeholders and experts who participated in the workshop.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.