Groundwater governance and a snapshot of associated issues in selected coastal communities in Ghana

Abstract

Groundwater is an important freshwater resource worldwide, particularly in coastal communities where it is scarce and often ignored. In Ghana, there is increasing dependence on groundwater, yet assessment of groundwater governance is rare. This study assessed the status of groundwater governance and identified existing gaps in Ghana. Groundwater-associated issues in four coastal communities (Essiama, Winneba, Korle Lagoon catchment area of Accra, and Keta) were assessed. Review of policy documents and expert-based assessment were employed to assess groundwater governance status and gaps while field observations, focus group discussions with community leaders, risk-priority matrix, and Nemerow's pollution index were employed to obtain a snapshot of local conditions that impact groundwater at the community level. Review of policy documents and expert-based assessment of groundwater governance capacity revealed that technical capacity, cross-sector policy coordination, and operational capacity were incipient, while legal and institutional capacity was acceptable. Overall, groundwater governance capacity in Ghana was shown to be incipient. Major gaps identified were (i) inadequate enforcement of groundwater policies, (ii) poor monitoring, (iii) poor technical and operational capacity, (iv) low cooperation within the water sector and across other sectors, and (v) poor public participation in water governance. The study revealed groundwater as an important resource in the studied coastal communities, where accessing potable water comes with some difficulties. Knowledge of groundwater policies was low, while there was no groundwater monitoring network in the communities. Furthermore, poor microbiological and chemical status of groundwater was observed. These findings suggest a need to build capacity in groundwater governance and to ensure robust public education on groundwater governance in Ghana.