Abstract

This study examined the water and sanitation (WATSAN) situation in Nima and Teshie, Greater Accra Region of Ghana. A number of research instruments and methods of primary and secondary data collection were employed. These were focus group discussions (FGD), field observation, and interviews. Data collected were edited, coded, and analyzed with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS) to generate tables. The residents of Nima and Teshie communities reported that they fetched water from a number of sources. Among these sources are Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) pipe connections, rainwater harvest and hand dug wells for Nima. Contrary to Nima, Teshie had additional sources from tanker services, streams and the sea. The price of various containers of water varied depending on the season of the year, the source of water and storage system. Also, most adult women in Nima do not patronise public toilet facilities. All the FGDs conducted in Nima indicated that residents pay a fee to dispose of their garbage into the public refuse containers but residents do not pay to do so in the Teshie community. It is recommended that the taps should be opened frequently during the day time to ease the acute water supply to the urban poor. The urban poor (especially women and children) should be informed on the proper disposal of solid waste at designated places by providing more refuse containers at vantage points, and appropriate sanitation facilities that would not exclude any group of the society should be designed.

Key words: Urban poor, water, sanitation, waste management, health.