tyhra carolyn kumasi (miss)

TU Delft Lustrum Symposium. T.C. Kumasi, KNUST - Ghana

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COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IN THE SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF RIVERS: BAREKESE CATCHMENT AREA, KUMASI,

GHANA.

Tyhra Carolyn Kumasi (Miss)

KWAME NKRUMAH UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE ANDTECHNOLOGY, KUMASI, GHANA.


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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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…….. IntroductionGiven 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 the public interest.


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. . . . . . In GhanaThere 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 whom pump water from the dam for irrigation and the use of agrochemicals all contribute to the degradation of the watershed.


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……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 AdministrationSurvey data was collected by the application of qualitative methods which include in-depth 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.


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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 500-1000m 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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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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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 (27%) during the raining season. Others thought it was as a result of farming close to the water bodies (16%).


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Population increase……Table 1. Percent population increase of

communities over the last ten yearsCommunity of Respondent

Population

Increase (%)

Ayensua

Fofuo

Ayensua

Kokoo

Denase

Esaase

Nkwantakese

Pampatia

Penten

Total

10-20 3.7 5.3 1.8 8.1 9.1 2.9 4.4

21-30 33.3 21.1 12.5 6.7 41.9 40.9 17.6 25.2

31-40 40.7 73.7 50.0 50.0 27.4 36.4 52.9 44.4

41-50 22.2 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 activitiesAccording 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 findingsThe 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.Ghana’s population is increasing and so are the inhabitants living in the dams catchment area thus putting undue pressure on the reserve.


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RecommendationsThe 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.

There is the need for good land use planning by the local government and thoughtful stewardship by the local land owners.


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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 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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tyhra carolyn kumasi (miss)

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