Rainwater Harvesting - A Potential Safety Net for Water Security in Ghana

Abstract

Water is an important medium for many activities including water for consumptive and non-consumptive purposes. Lack of water quality and quantity does not only hampers socio-economic development but affects agricultural productivity, sustainable development, sanitation, health, industrial development and the ecosystem. The advent of climate change is known to affect water flow, increases dry season spells and drought, and influences reservoirs or deep groundwater wells thus worsening the precarious water situation in Africa.  About 1.7 billion of the world population lives in water scarce regions and this is projected to grow to about 300% or 5 billion by 2025 especially in Africa.  In Ghana, population growth, pollution of river bodies, high evapotranspiration, erratic rainfall pattern and environmental degradation among others have affected water availability and use.  These challenges will therefore require a deliberate water harvesting, integrated water management and conservation, water use efficiency and capacity building to withstand the dwindling trend of water resources in the country. This paper therefore seeks to inform policy makers, stakeholders, institutions responsible for water resources management among others to consider water harvesting as a potential solution to the many challenges including water shortages, floods, and land degradation. The article was carried out through extensive review of literature, official reports and policy documents. It shows the need to adopt appropriate techniques for rainwater harvesting to address the perennial water scarcity in the country.