The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) has reported that the 2022 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS) found that approximately one in every five (19.1%) individuals in Ghana lacked sufficient drinking water in the month before the survey.
The Northern Region had the highest percentage, with one in every three (32.1%) individuals facing inadequate drinking water access.
Oti (31.2%) and North East (26.2%) followed as the regions with the next highest percentages of insufficient drinking water.
In contrast, the Upper East (14.0%) and Ashanti (14.5%) regions had the lowest percentages of individuals without enough drinking water, with figures less than half those of the Northern and Oti regions.
The GSS released this information in a statement to mark this year’s World Water Day, celebrated annually on March 22nd. The theme for 2024 is ‘Water for Peace’.
The GSS also noted that nationally, 6.5% of the population had to travel more than 30 minutes round-trip to access drinking water.
“More than a quarter (27.5%) of the population in the North East Region reported travelling more than 30 minutes to access water, the highest recorded, followed by the Northern (18.6%) and Upper West (18.6%) regions.
“Three in every five (59.9%) persons in Ghana did not have water on their premises. Nine in every ten persons (89.8%) in the Savannah Region did not have water on their premises, the highest recorded and 1.5 times higher than the national average. North East (86.5%) and Oti (83.5%) regions have the second and third highest percent of the population without water on their premises.”
“Greater Accra (22.0%) recorded the lowest percentage of the population without water on the premises. Volta Region (47.1%) is the only other region where less than half of the population does not have water on the premises. More than 90.0 percent of the population in the lowest wealth quintile (93.6%) were without drinking water on their premises, more the five times the percentage recorded for those in the highest wealth quintile (17.5%),” it stated.
According to the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), 83.8% of the population nationwide had access to at least basic drinking water services. This was defined as having an improved water source that required no more than a 30-minute round-trip for collection, or having water available on the premises.
“The percentage is lowest in the North East Region (43.4%) where less than half of the population has access to basic water services. Savannah (54.2%), Oti (57.8%), and Northern (64.4%) regions have the next highest percentage of the population with access to basic water services.
Greater Accra (97.7%) and Ashanti (94.8%) were the regions with the highest percentage who have access to basic services, recording figures that are more than twice that of the North East Region.”
“Persons in the poorest wealth quintile have the lowest percentage with at least basic water services (52.1%), almost half the percentage for persons in the highest wealth quintile (97.9%). Eight in every 10 (82.3%) of persons using unimproved water sources did not treat their water. Unimproved water sources refer to unprotected dug wells or unprotected springs,” it stated.
The Service underscored that eight in every 10 (84.3%) persons using surface water (i.e., drinking water directly from a river, dam, lake, pond, stream, canal, or irrigation canal) did not treat their water.
The 2022 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey report, resources, and microdata are available to download at no cost from www.statsghana.gov.gh.