Achieving full coverage and sustainable water service provision : the needs and gaps : Bongo, East Gonja and Wa East District Assembly

The District Strategy for achieving full water coverage (2017 to 2025) provides the framework for the implementation of water activities and services in the districts of Ghana using the Life Cycle Cost Approach (LCCA). The report seeks to provide framework in policy planning and estimating the quantum of funds that needs to be injected into the construction, operation and maintenance of water facilities in order to achieve full water coverage in the district by 2025 and sustain the existing ones.

Preparation of the strategy was done through a participatory process with the districts and the Community Water and Sanitation Agency using the Resources, Infrastructure, Demand and Access (RIDA) strategic planning tool.

Assessments conducted on water facilities have shown that service levels provided by water facilities in the districts are very low. Less than 10% of handpumps provided basic services when they were assessed on national recommended indicators such as quantity, quality, distance and reliability. One of the reasons for the low service levels was that people travel more than 500 meters to access potable water in the northern part of Ghana. The Water and Sanitation Management Teams in rural communities performed abysmally in relation to service indicators such as governance, operations and financial management.

Furthermore, the activities of water provisions has been donor driven with significant concentration on investment of new infrastructure. This has however not translated to filling the gap of the underserved. It is therefore imperative that attention is focused on the gaps to ensure the attainment of universal water coverage by 2025.

The interventions in the report are aimed at strengthening policies, institutional, regulatory and financial frameworks for effective service delivery including operation and maintenance of water services in the districts. The total cost of implementing the strategy for the full water coverage in the three districts is estimated to cost One Hundred and Thirty-Three Thousand, Three and Fifty Six Thousand Four Hundred and Thirty Ghana cedis three pesewas (GHS 133,356,430.03). Bongo district will require GHS 45,502, 707.03, East Gonja GHS 50,548,033.00 and Wa East GHS 37,305,690.00 for the implementation of water coverage and sustainability activities spanning from 2017-2025.