RAINWATER HARVESTING IN RURAL COMMUNITIES IN GHANA: A CASE STUDY OF AGONA SWEDRU

Abstract

Availability of good drinking water is critical for human health. Increasing demand of water due to population growth, urbanization, industrialization and extensive agricultural practices in the world have culminated in many communities especially, the rural suburbs not being able to have access to sufficiently clean and safe water supply from district distribution stations. Access to adequate fresh water in this area is scarce, yet crucial for the survival of the inhabitants. This dissertation aims at developing a kind of rapid sand filter, to be incorporated into the already practiced rainwater harvesting technique specifically roof-top rainwater harvesting in Ghana. The whole experimental work took place in Groundwater Laboratory in the Water Resources Development and Management department of Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee. Rainwater was collected from the roof of the department building and was analyzed. The water quality analyses were evaluated on the guidelines of both Indian standards for drinking water and World Health Organization. Physico-chemical test results were within allowable limits by the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Indian standards for drinking water (IS 10500:2012), except for the proportions of electrical conductivity which exceeded these limits for samples in the 12” diameter filter tests. Most of the tested water samples were microbiologically potable