Households’ access and expenditure on water services: Examining intra-urban differences in the Accra metropolis, Ghana

Abstract

Despite years of investment into the water sector in Ghana, access to and expenditure on potable water for drinking and domestic use remain a challenge for most urban households. However, within the urban context, the severity of water challenges varies from one residential community to another, with less research attention often given to such intra-urban differences. To address this gap, this study examines differences in household access and expenditure on pipe-borne water in three varying socio-economic residential communities in Accra. The study used a convergent mixed method design and drew on secondary literature, to examine the differences in households' access to and expenditure on water. The findings revealed that Jamestown, a low-income residential community, had the lowest connection to the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) grid, with many respondents depending on pipe-borne water outside dwellings operated by private water retailers. While the findings showed no significant differences in the regularity of flow and expenditure on water among the three varying socio-economic communities, the paper argues that low-income communities such as Jamestown are likely to be more affected due to existing socio-economic deprivation and vulnerability contexts. Based on the study findings, we recommend that efforts be made to increase investment in water infrastructure to enable households to connect to the GWCL grid. Attention should also be given to low-income households, who often lack the means to pay for services that will enable them to connect to the GWCL grid. Further, we recommend improved collaboration between local communities and GWCL as a way of fostering strategies that address the peculiar water challenges in local communities.