Abstract
Recent estimates on water security are alarming, particularly for African countries. Government-controlled water suppliers have largely not succeeded in providing safe water access in the past. New attempts are currently being made in many countries to improve the provision of water services through more decentralized approaches. The Volta River Basin in Ghana provides a case study for analyzing these policy strategies and their effects on improving water security. This paper gives insights on the access and use of improved water sources in the basin. Based on recent Living Standards Measurement Study (LSMS) conducted by the Ghana Statistical Service and the World Bank, several hypotheses on the determinants and likely consequences of water insecurity are being tested. We compare patterns by means of maps and graphs and conduct statistical analyses on households' use of alternative water sources, water expenditures, the incidence of water-borne diseases, and potential links to migration. We find that although substantial success has been made by recent programs in providing communities with access to improved water sources, the actual use of such sources still varies geographically and across households. Our results suggest that a household is choice between improved and traditional drinking water sources not only depends on the household's income level and distance to the source but is also determined by other factors such as education and preferences or taste. In our analysis of household water expenditures, we find that the average share of income spent on water - even when indirect costs are included - lies within the range recommended by the World Bank. We further examine the consequences of improved water access on migration patterns. Our results indicate that water access and availability have a significant impact on migration. We conclude with policy implications and directions for ongoing and future research.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 145-167 |
Number of pages | 23 |
Journal | Quarterly Journal of International Agriculture |
Volume | 41 |
Issue number | 1-2 |
Publication status | Published - 2002 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Ghana
- Improved water access
- Migration
- Water security