The problem of urban growth in Ghana has assumed a critical dimension. Inadequate housing, water supply, sanitation and transport has led to increasing urban shanty towns crowded with people without access to community services.
In the 1960s less than 25% of the Ghanaian population lived in urban centers, with about one-fifth living in Accra alone. Unfortunately this growth in population was not accompanied by provisions of basic living infrastructure. ( Policylines April-June 1998).
In Accra where community services seems to be increasing steadily, it has not been able to keep up with the population. Situations of this kind in Ghana and some other parts of the World have prompted the establishment of community services projects and consultative bodies. An example is the World Water Commission and the World Water Council to initiate consultation on water management for domestic use, energy and agriculture.
The consultative bodies are challenged with the major motive for solving community service problems(water supply, sanitation,transport etc)in the part of the world where the problem get acute as a result of population growth.
An encouraging attempt has been made by the World Water Commission and the World Water Council.
The consultative process which started in Marrakech, Morocco in 1997 with the World Water Forum, established the document, “Water Vision” the aims of the vision included;
i. Creating a world where all people would have safe and sufficient water resources including food in a way that the integrity of fresh water ecosystems will be maintained.
ii. Also the freshwater resources should be managed in an integrated manner at all levels from individuals to the international community, to serve the interest of mankind efficiently and effectively..
Children everywhere are seen as important dependent members of the family; but in the case of some parts of the world especially in Africa where community services are lacking, children are very resourceful as they are made to compensate for the missing infrastructure.
Children’s roles in the family as domestic anchors permit adults to pursue their commercial activities. Although children are supposed to be secured by some declarations and traditional forces, most of them on the converse secure the domestic system. In the developing context, children are seen as resources.
Children in the developing context become adults before their eight birthdays whereas in the developed context children are the sole responsibilities of their parents/families.
In any child and gender research, this issue is always very clear. Children’s roles in the family, include refuse disposal, water collection including human and animal excrement.
The AMA covers an area of about 1079 km2 and consists of the Cities of Accra, Tema and a rural district. In the early 1990s about 75% of the AMA population lived in the cities of Accra which was generally unplanned and characterized by overcrowding and inadequate sanitation and other municipal facilities in the low- income areas. By 1993 only 1% of Accra was connected with sewerage system. (World Bank,1993). Quite over 12% of the population benefits from house to house collection of solid waste. The large majority of the population uses disposal sites or bury of burn waste.
The Accra Metropolitan Area will have a population of about 4million by 2020, a growth rate of about 4.3% per annum compared to the national rate of 2.8%. Two thirds of the growth is natural and one third is a result of rural-urban migration.
The AMA has a fast growing population that has necessitated peripheral settlement. The rural district (on the peripheries of AMA) is a fast growing residential zone but the growth is characterized by inadequate water supply, poor sanitation, inadequate transport and other municipal facilities.
The roles of children in compensating for the missing infrastructure have become very eminent as a result of poor and inadequate municipal facilities. Water, sanitation and transport deserve much attention from the government, consultative bodies and NGOs.
Children, especially house-girls who are brought to the urban areas from the rural areas to live with relatives or non-relatives for some fee or as foster children are basically charged with the domestic duty of refuse disposal, water collection and caring for babies. The such children, have restricted access to education because of the tasks they perform.
Benneh,G at al,(1990)
Benneh,G.,Songsore,J.,Nabila,J.S.,Amtuzu,A.T., Tutu,K.A and Yangoru,Y.(1993)
Ghana Living Standard Survey; (October 2000)
Grieco, M., et al, (1996)
Nartey,K.M.(2000)
Last updated: 26-03-2001
The growing population of Accra is not associated with water and sanitary facilities. This situation is attributable to the fast rate of urbanization and desperation of settlers to settle in the urban areas for urban employment without giving consideration to the community facilities.
15.6 % of household water supply in Accra is from water vendors, 22.3% from neighbor and 0.3% from tankers (Water Tank Vehicles).
In the case of the 15.6% and 22.3% above, children may have to travel from their homes to collect the water.( The Ghana Living Standard Survey, 2000)
In the absence of the municipal facilities in the fast growing urban population, a system should be designed to make interim provision.
In Accra, especially the 'new urban districts,' children perform the task of water collection and refuse disposal at longer distances (about 7 miles) before they go to school.
According to a UNICEF Report (1992), the need to structure resources in favor of proven technologies and approaches to serve low-income populations with living infrastructure including water and sanitation presents major challenges to UNICEF.
The health risk of children is worse when they have to walk long distances to fetch water and dispose of refuse
The use of children as performers of domestic tasks in several cases has been a source of convenience to the traveling adult. In some cities of the Accra Metropolitan Area, children's response to some questionnaire (Grieco 1994) intimidated that they carry out the domestic duties for their parents/foster parents while parents travel very early in the morning to work or market in the cities. The early travel is an escape from the heavy vehicular traffic in the hours of the morning.
The use of children as performers of domestic tasks is seen as a socialization process for knowledge and discipline for the children in their future lives, but the tasks become detrimental to the health and education of the children when it becomes a burden on them.
The burden of children in the developing world will get worse if infrastructure developments are not in line with the rapid the requirement of households in the domestic context.
Piping of water to the growing populations of the new urban zones of the Accra Metropolitan Area is not and will not be a common place in the next decade. Water Tank Transport systems may be an alternative to the piping system. This is expensive for the average income earner.
Rapid Urban Environmental Assessment Lessons from Cities in the Developing World. World Bank
Environmental policies and urban households in Greater Accra Metropolitan Area.Stockholm EnvironmentInstitute: Stockholm
Ghana Statistical Services.Accra
At Christmas and on Rainy Days: Transport, Travel and Female Traders of Accra. Avebury Press: Aldershot.
'Population and Environment' FOE BRIEF issue 2, FOE,Ghana
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