Ziome community report: cost of water and sanitation in Ziome, Ketu South District of Volta Region of Ghana

A majority of the people (83%) receive acceptable service in terms of water quantity throughout the year. However, the overall water service is sub-standard and does not satisfy the national norm due to reliability and accessibility to the water systems. The inhabitants do not pay to access water from the formal sources. This makes it difficult for the community to carry out operation and maintenance works without the help of philanthropists or other support groups. A majority of the community members resorts to open defecation, and dig and bury. None of the households have access to an acceptable sanitation service as the few available improved household toilets facilities were not in use by all the households. WASHCost is undertaking action research to quantify the cost of providing sustainable water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services in rural and peri-urban areas in Ghana. This community report presents findings of the research carried out in the community of Ziome in the Ketu South District of the Volta Region of Ghana. The WASHCost team visited the Ziome community in april, 2010 to collect data on the WASH services received by the inhabitants and the cost of providing the services. The community has a population of 551 according to the regional Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) records. The inhabitants, ethnically mostly Ewes, are predominantly farmers with a few of the women engaged in gari processing and trading as a means of generating income for the upkeep of their households. [authors abstract]