Water Sanitation In Ghana

“They don't want to build Schools and Hospitals anymore but build private mansions and buy flashy and political campaign cars.” This compelling quote from Francis Tawiah identifies the constant struggle facing the country of Ghana during their shift towards development. From pre-colonial times to today politicians have neglected the health of their fellow Ghanaians and in turn have cause the slow development of the country. Through a combination between global and local influences from past centuries originated the demise of the possibly great empire of Ghana.

Ghana’s most pertinent developmentally lacking program is water sanitation. By delving into the pre-colonial, colonial and postcolonial laws and policies pertaining to water one can see the effects on the governmental system and in turn the health of a society. Pre-colonial water laws consisted of water conservation, pollution control and protection of fisheries. Certain rules consisted of prohibiting farming close to river banks which housed river gods and certain human activities were not allowed in forests and groves. These somewhat peculiar laws focused more on the reverence of the ancestors and their belief in honoring the earth and water bodies. These laws were enforced through several decrees created by the chief. Either payment of fines, sacrifice or ostracize kept the pre-colonial members of the community in check. During the colonial period water laws changed considerably. The major influence of this time is characterized by the British. They began to colonize Ghana in 1874 calling their settlement the British Crown Colony of the Gold Coast. The political structure was not the only part of Ghana that was affected. Socie...

... middle of paper ...

... fact become a powerful empire if not for the colonization of other countries? Seeing how Ghana is known as one of the wealthiest countries in its area, perhaps colonization was not this country’s downfall, rather its lack of involvement with healthcare and purification with the water systems. It is believed that almost ¼ of Accra’s (city in Ghana) population of 4 million people do not get adequate water from a tap system, rather these families are disregarded and ignored. The possible empire Ghana could have created was destroyed from the inside out. Their actions of ignoring the health and well-being of their civilians have cost them many deaths including 25 percent of children under 5 die from diarrhea, which by a simple purification system could be expelled immediately. Also not only that but 1.1 million deaths per year are caused by water sanitation problems.