Population Growth and Water Supply

Abstract

With recent and expected record-breaking urban population growth in developing countries, African cities ought to undertake or revisit sustainable planning efforts necessary for managing population growth and dealing with rapid urbanization. This chapter examines how African cities are responding and adapting to rapid population growth in the area of water supply using Ghana as a case study. From a macro perspective, the chapter looks at the nature and extent of population growth and water supply in Africa, with a focus on Ghana. At the micro level, an analysis of the water supply chain in Ghanaian cities, focusing on distribution, equity and accessibility is presented. The chapter further presents a discussion on the way forward regarding urban water supply in Ghana in particular and Africa in general. The chapter concludes with key findings and directions for further research, in relation to population growth and urban water supply.

Citizen participation dilemmas in water governance: An empirical case of Kumasi, Ghana

“…Thus, it is through dissecting the links between control and access to water and social relations of power that scholars demonstrate the ways that urban waterscapes are never socially, nor ecologically, neutral ( Adams et al, 2019 ; Swyngedouw and Swyngedouw, 2004 ). Participation has, therefore, emerged as one of the most advocated and used principles of water governance in an attempt to leverage access to water as well as social relations of power, which significantly impact water demand among a given population (Adams et al, 2019; Cobbinah et al, 2020 ). As a result, various forms of participatory approaches to water governance have sufficed ( Akhmouch and Clavreul , Margerum and Robinson, 2015 ).…”

“…However, a majority of research efforts to date focus on water supply challenges that confront rural and urban regions and impressively articulate the effects of the discrepancies about infrastructure and coverage ( Jiménez and Pérez-Foguet, 2010 , Munasinghe, 2019 ). Also, research that assesses citizen participation 'formulas' in decision-making on water-related issues as a solution to water delivery challenges in urban centres remains scarce in the developing world context ( Adams et al, 2019 , Chitonge et al, 2020 , Cobbinah et al, 2020 ).…”