"Water water everywhere yet no drop to drink"

Issues

This paper discusses the historical context in which most settlements were done in Ghana....usually not far from water bodies which were used by the indigenes for agriculture and consumption. With industrialization and population growth there has been pressure on the water body systems. Development had ushered in portable water but challenges have been immense. This is either due to inadequate infrastructure to support the transport of the water systems, excessive cost to the government because of the feeling by the citizens that water should be delivered free of charge. Prohibitive costs, pollution by mining companies, fishermen and waste disposal and reliance on rain water are some of the challenges. The paper discusses some health issues such as burili (flesh eating) ulcer, typhoid epidemic, cholera resulting from contaminated water. Attempts by governments to charge user fees and attempts by NGOs to provide borehole substitutes are discussed. There are suggestions as to what less endowed communities can do to forestall contamination using local knowledge and the role of international agencies and NGOs in the delivery of water