Transcript IMPACTS OF LAND-USE CHANGE ON THE WATER QUALITY OF …

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN THE
SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF RIVERS:
BAREKESE CATCHMENT AREA, KUMASI,
GHANA.
KWAME NKRUMAH UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND
TECHNOLOGY, KUMASI, GHANA.
Tyhra Carolyn Kumasi (Miss)
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Introduction……..
The World Commission on Environment and
Development in 1987 defines sustainable
development it as development that “meets
the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs”.
Unless sustainability levels can be vastly
improved, the Millennium Development
Goal target to halve the proportion of people
without sustainable access to safe water by
the year 2015 will not be achieved (Harvey
and Reed, 2005).
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…….. Introduction
Given this situation, it is important to
understand the significant role of community
participation in the sustainable development
of watersheds.
Brand
(1983)
defines
community
participation “as the practice of involving as
many people as possible through consensus
building workshops in the planning and
implementation of environmental change to
a specific area in a community”.
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In Ghana . . . . . .
In Ghana 78 percent of the total area of
Ghana is under customary tenure.
The state owns about 22 percent of the
country
with
statute
law
applying
exclusively to about 20 percent.
Under the provisions of the State Lands Act
(1962), the President of the Republic can
acquire absolute interest in any land in the
country by publishing an Executive
Instrument clearly identifying the required
area of land and declaring that the land is
required in theTUpublic
interest.
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. . . . . . In Ghana
There are numerous land disputes between
customary people using forests and
government/timber
growers,
between
customary people with land rights and
those with mining rights, between
customary people and government on the
peri-urban fringe as city development takes
place.
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Barekese Reservoir ……
In Kumasi, the Barekese reservoir provides 80
percent of the total public pipe borne water to
the Kumasi metropolis and its environs.
However over the past two decades the
watershed has seen persistent degradation
through anthropogenic activities along its
catchment area which also raises concern on
the deteriorating water quality.
Slush and burn is the main practice in
clearing land for agricultural purposes,
activities of vegetable crop farmers most of
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Kumasi, KNUST
- Ghana
whom pump T.C.water
from
the dam for
……Why Barekese Reservoir?
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……Why Barekese Reservoir?
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Objectives…….
The main objective of this paper is to
highlight the attitudes of the catchment area
inhabitants towards their involvement in
the
sustainable
exploitation
and
management of the Barekese watershed as a
natural resource.
To explore ways of sustainably managing
the Barekese catchment area to ameliorate
the deteriorating water quality.
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Study Area ……
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Questionnaire Administration
Survey data was collected by the application
of qualitative methods which include indepth
interviews
(using
open-ended
interview
guides),
observations
(i.e.
participant and unstructured), focus group
discussions (FGDs) and photographs.
Additionally, various levels of consultation
with key informants and desk study were
used in gathering data. Interviewees were
mainly from the villages along the Barekese
catchment; Ayensua Fofuo, Ayensua Kokoo,
Penten, Denase, Esaase, Pampatia and
Nkwantakese. TU Delft Lustrum Symposium.
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T.C. Kumasi, KNUST - Ghana
Anthropogenic activities along the
catchment area……
Most of the inhabitants living within the
Barekese catchment area were mainly farmers
(80%).
Farming was done mainly on the arable lands
close to the banks of the river, farmers within 5001000m of the River Offin constituted (40.8%).
Those whose farms were 1001-1500m from the
banks of the Offin, the main river supplying the
Barekese dam had their farms closer to River
Nwabi, (17.2%).
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…… Anthropogenic activities along
the catchment area
In Ayensua Kokoo, 73.7% of the farmers used
fertilizer and chemicals for the cultivation of their
vegetables and cocoa.
In Ayensua Fofuo and Ayensua Kokoo as much as
96.3% and 89.5%, respectively were farming on water
courses.
Several reasons were given for this activity which
includes scarcity of land, non payment of
compensation and as a form of protest.
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…… Anthropogenic activities
along the catchment area
In Pampatia 100% of the community had access to
KVIPs with no such facility in Ayensua Fofuo,
Ayensua Kokoo and Penten. In Nkwantakese and
Esaase, the KVIP was out of use with the community
resorting to indiscriminate defecation.
In general, only half (47.6%) of the communities had
access to KVIP facilities with most of them not even
bothering to use them.
Most of the communities used mainly the River
Offin for their domestic, recreational, farming, fish
farming and the washing of vehicles.
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…… Anthropogenic activities along the
catchment area
Although Ayensua Fofuo, Nkwantakese
and Denase communities had pipe-borne
water supply, due to the irregularity in the
supply, these communities often resorted
to the use of streams and boreholes.
Most (84%) of the residents along the dams
catchment area experienced flooding of
their streams which some attributed to
heavy rains TU(27%)
during the raining
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season. OthersT.C.thought
it was as a result of
Population increase……
Table 1. Percent population increase of communities over the
last ten years
Community of Respondent
Population
Increase
(%)
Ayensua
Fofuo
Ayensua
Kokoo
Denase
10-20
3.7
5.3
1.8
21-30
33.3
21.1
12.5
31-40
40.7
73.7
41-50
22.2
Esaase
Nkwantakese Pampatia
Penten Total
8.1
9.1
2.9
4.4
6.7
41.9
40.9
17.6
25.2
50.0
50.0
27.4
36.4
52.9
44.4
43.3
43.3
22.6
13.6
26.5
100
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Impacts of anthropogenic activities…..
Over 75.2% of the farmers experienced drying up
of streams used in farming during the dry season.
A quarter (24.4%), were of the view that the drying
up of their streams could be attributed to farming
close to the water bodies and 24.8% said it was
lack of tree cover and shade.
Using water colour as an indicator of water
quality, a third (27.6%) of the inhabitants in the
communities had not observed any change in the
quality of the water but the majority (72.4%) had
observed some changes.
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……Impacts of anthropogenic activities
According to Kumasi et al, (2007) results from a Geographic
Information Systems (GIS) survey indicated that from 1973
to 1986 the closed forest decreased by 43.54% whereas the
open forest increased by 52.91% in the Barekese catchment.
Grassland and open area/town also increased appreciably
from 1973 to 1986 by 186.52% and 25.96%, respectively.
During this same period (1973-1986), the Barekese
reservoir’s size decreased by 60.91%. From 1986 to 2003 the
closed forest increased by a very small margin of 1.06%.
Grassland area increased by 181.32%, although this increase
was not as much as that of 1973 to 1986 (186.52%).
From 1986 to 2003 the catchment area experienced a
momentous increase in open areas/towns by 755.40%.
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Sustainable management of the
reservoir……
In all the seven communities only 0.4% of the respondents
were of the view that the dam did not have adverse effect on
their social, economic and cultural life, however 99.6%
thought otherwise.
Incidence of malaria as a result of mosquito bites was high
(33.6%) in all seven communities. Some respondents in
Nkwantakese had been compensated; however, in Penten,
Ayensua Fofuo, Ayensua Kokoo Esaase and Pampatia, most
of the inhabitants had been deprived of their farm lands
without compensation.
As many as 18.4% recommended regular spraying of the
dam and its environs. They demanded realistic
compensation packages from government or the
introduction of sustainable alternative livelihood
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Summary of findings………..
The study shows that the various human
centered activities by the inhabitants in the
Barekese catchment area have adversely
reduced the vegetation cover and general
sanitary conditions around the main and
feeder streams of the reservoir.
The issue of negligence and the lack of
involvement of the community in the
management of the reservoir have been
cited as some of the reasons.
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Summary of findings………..
Despite the many promises that were made
to the seven communities that lost access to
their farmlands as a result of the
construction of the dam in 1969, none of
these promises have been fulfilled.
These communities lack access to potable
drinking water, no places of convenience,
and the road network is dusty and
unmotorable.
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……… Summary of findings
The refusal of government to pay
compensation to the farmers who lost their
farmlands has compelled most of these
communities to farm on the fertile lands and
watercourses.
This may buttress the fact that if these
communities were involved in the initial
project planning and implementation with
sufficient education on the benefits that may
accrue to them, then this valuable resource
could have been saved.
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Ghana’s population
is
increasing
and
so
are
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Recommendations
The re-introduction of norms and traditions
within the communities along the Barekese
catchment area could infuse fear and
consequently act as environmental protection
measures.
Beginning several decades ago, the idea that
indigenous people and other small scale
societies were exemplary conservationists
gained widespread currency in popular
media as well as academic circles. This
indigenous conservationism has often been
attributed to a spiritual respect for, and a
practical understanding
of,
the
natural
world.
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Conclusion…..
The study suggests that individual residents
in these communities have not been involved
in the management of the watershed and as a
result are adversely affecting the sustainable
management of the watershed.
Community participation in the Barekese
catchment area has not been considerable and
most implementation problems stem from
lack of involvement and social equity.
Impediments to community participation
have been: the underestimation of knowledge
and experience of the local communities; and
a prejudice for technical rather than social
considerations
in
natural
resource
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management efforts.
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Conclusion…..
Community development projects should
aim to ensure that all segments in the
community contribute their knowledge and
opinions, and benefit equitably.
It is also imperative that women be fully
involved in all aspects of the environmental
sustainable development projects, including
management. Women play a monumental
role in the life of all communities.
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