Potential of rain water harvesting in Ayigya, Kumasi, Ghana

Although, we live in a planet covered by water, more than 97 percent of it is saltwater and nearly 2 percent of it is in the form of ice and snow. This leaves less than 1 percent to grow our crops and supply our drinking and bathing water for households. It is pertinent to mention that 0.3 percent of the fresh water is in lakes, rivers and wetlands. This amount includes water in plants, animals and in the atmosphere (Kingsolver, 2010). These figures illustrate universal challenges, ranging from the availability of water resources to its distribution to the population. Global statistics indicate that over a billion people live in a region of severe water stress and one of the targets of the Millennium Development Goals is to half this number by 2015. However, this target seems daunting, considering the present water supply situation in Asia and Africa as many communities in these continents have never had access to piped water supply and sub-Saharan Africa has the world's worst level of water provision. Ghana lies in the sub-Saharan region of Africa and nearly 40 percent of the population are either un-served or underserved by piped water. The research area Ayigya lies in the south east district of Kumasi which is Ghana's second largest city and is 270 Km away from the capital city Accra. In this neighbourhood, nearly 91 percent of the households have access to water by means of buying from water vendors/ neighbour sellers. And nearly 53 percent of the household spends nearly US$0.22 to US$0.44 per day on water which is nearly 15 percent of their income (Nyarko, Odai and Fosuhene, 2006). This issue is precisely the stepping stone of this research and the main objective of this research is to explore the potential of rooftop Rain Water Harvesting at household level in order to improve the well-being of people in Ayigya. This research focuses on the techno-financial feasibility of adopting Rain Water Harvesting in the most cost-effective way at household level and employs survey and archival research strategies to collect data from the field. The data has been analysed using both qualitative and quantitative methods in order to portray the ground reality of the research area. The research reveals that Ghana Water Company Ltd. (GWCL) is entangled with new challenges in the supply of potable water in Kumasi due to the excessive demand for water. Although the rehabilitation work at Barikese Water Treatment Plant has increased its installed capacity to 90,720m3/day it is still short of fulfilling the growing demands for water to meet population growth. The public private partnership (PPP) between GWCL and Aqua Vitens Rands Ltd. failed to yield the desired results in these informal areas due to economic reasons. If we are to keep pace with population and economic growth, we need to identify and develop new supply sources and if required we need to look to the past. In searching for solutions to this problem, the research looks at environmentally and economically sustainable factors with regard to the improvement of water provision in Ayigya. The research findings have revealed that rooftop Rain Water Harvesting is a techno- financially viable option considering the perception of the various stakeholders and availability of various building components suitable for adopting the system at household level. Rain Water Harvesting is not a new approach. This system of collecting water from rain has been practiced by mankind for centuries. In the technological maze of the contemporary world we seem to have become ignorant to the fact that rainwater is our primary source of water in the hydrological cycle. The key is to catch it where it falls to quench the thirst of millions. The most important move towards ensuring adequate water and environmental conservation requires a change in people's attitude and behaviour and it includes every one of us.