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Water sources, infrastructure, space and the dynamics of environmental diseases in Saboba District: Using GISIdentify the most pressing environmental problems in the district.Identify whether women and men are proportionately affected byenvironmental diseases.Use GIS to identify the spatial dynamics of environmentaldiseases.Identify the causes of high rates of environmental diseases in thedistrict and provide recommendations based on the study.Expected outcomeThe research is expected to; 1) contribute to knowledge in reducingenvironmental diseases in general and 2) broaden the knowledge of theuse of GIS as a tool to analyse health issues.Hypothesis and propositionsIn this study, it is hypothesised that; there is a significant relationshipbetween distances to the main town, roads, watercourses, the type ofland cover and elevation on one hand and environmental diseases on theother in Saboba district. In this study, two propositions are made. Theseare; 1). Environmental diseases are increasing at faster rates in Sabobadistrict and 2) environmental diseases affect more women than men.Rationale for the studyDue to the increasing rates of water-related diseases shown above byWHO and UNICEF (2004) and IWMI (2000) and the growing need forinterventions aimed at disease prevention and control, it is crucial tocarry out research into the spatial dynamics of these diseases. This studywill enable stakeholders in the case of Saboba district to design areaspecificintervention measures, as well as proactive decisions through theintegration of water management and health policies. For example, thestudy on the spatial dimension of these diseases will provide the neededinformation for the development of effective water and healthintervention policies suitable for each specific community. Also, byidentifying the past water management practices, the stakeholders will beable to integrate water and health policies in a way that is economicallyand culturally feasible in Saboba district, and Ghana in general.DelimitationThis research did not deal with the chemical components of water andthe biology of diseases, due largely to insufficient knowledge in waterchemistry and molecular biology and epidemiology respectively. Also,time, cost and resource constraints did not permit administration ofquestionnaires in all communities in the district; hence only fivecommunities were sampled. It is also worth to note that when theresearch began, the study area was originally limited to Saboba subdistrict(part of Saboba/Chereponi district). However, in February, 2008,the study area gains a full district status and named Saboba district. Theother part is named Chereponi district. Such changes are subsequentlyeffected, but some few aspects of the description of the study area stillmaintain features of the old district, since there has not yet been anyclear demarcation of the northern boundary between the two districts. Iam also aware of the classification of water related diseases as water borne,water washed, water based etc, but as this is not the focus of the research,water related as used here encompasses all of these diseases. It is alsoworth to note that, though the focus of this study is on water relateddiseases, RTI has been included for readers to see the trends ofenvironmental diseases in the district beyond those related to water.3
Matthew Biniyam KursahTRITA LWR Master ThesisLiterature reviewIn order to achieve the 7 th Millennium Development Goal – to “half by2015 the proportion of people without sustainable access to safedrinking water and basic sanitation”, Ghana needs to understand issuessuch as causes of water mismanagement/scarcity and impact on health,the effects, difficulties in managing water resources, information needsfor efficient water management and finally the managing strategies. Thissection extensively looks at these issues.Causes of water scarcityAccording to International Water Management Institute, IWMI, (2000)by 2025 water shortages will be more prevalent among poorer countriessuch as in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The institute attributed this tolimited resources, rapid population growth and climatic changes. It alsostated that, generally, the developed countries of North America andEurope will not see a serious threat to water supply by 2025. This is notonly due to their relative wealth, but more importantly; the populationwill “match up” with the available water resources. This shows that thepredicted water stress has both human (population growth) and natural(climatic) causes.Centre for Strategic and International Studies-Sandia NationalLaboratories, CSIS-SNL, (2005) is also of the view that acrossdeveloping and developed regions, poor governance andmismanagement of natural resources, together with high populationgrowth, rising level of urbanisation and economic development have ledto a growing disparity between water supply and demand. Among otherthings, CSIS-SNL (2005) concluded that this trend is leading the worldtowards a tipping point in the history of mankind.Like CSIS-SNL, (2005), Gardner-Outlaw and Engelman (1997) statedthat the global trends in population growth, economic development,industrialisation, and urbanisation, among others, are pushing all ofhumanity towards a period marked by unexpected water scarcity, poorerwater quality and deterioration of sanitation conditions. The writersconcluded that by 2050, a quarter of the world’s population will live in acountry experiencing persistent water shortages.According to Garrett Hardin’s (1968) Science essay, The Tragedy of theCommons, natural resources such as water is engulfed in a social trap thatentails rivalry over resources between individual interests and thecommon good. Garrett Hardin’s theory is an affirmation of Aristotle 1 ,who believes that that which is common to the greatest number has the least carebestowed upon it. It can therefore be argued that the mismanagement ofwater resources (common good) such as rivers, lakes and other waterbodies are suffering from Garrett Hardin’s tragedy of the commons.Effects of scarcity of water resourcesPostel and Wolf (2001) stated that water stress can cause conflict orintensify conflicts and political tensions that may not have been directlycaused by water scarcity such as Bolivian Water Wars of 2000. Gradualreductions over time in the quality and/or quantity of fresh water canadd to the instability of a region by depleting the health of a populationand obstructing economic development, especially in the downstreamareas of distressed river basins. The writers believe that regions that aremore prone to water related conflicts include Sub-Saharan African (SSA),1 Aristotle, Politics 1261b344
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