The Dayi River Basin

The Dayi River Basin

The Negotiated Approach in the context of IWRM in the Dayi River Basin, Ghana

Kijk in de Vegte, M. & Veerman, A.

Contents
List of acronyms 3

Introduction 4

Part one: Potential of the Dayi River Basin 5

1. Physical characteristics of the Dayi River Basin 5

1.1 Environmental characteristics 5

1.2 Climate 6

1.3 Water in the catchment 6

1.4 Importance of the region 7

1.5 Infrastructural development in the region 8

2. Socio-economic characteristics of the Dayi River Basins 9

2.1 Economic activities 9

2.2 The main categories of livelihoods 10

Livelihoods and gender relations 10

2.3 Resource utilisation and interests of the various groups 11

3. Threats to the Dayi River Basin: interaction between environment

And livelihood 12

3.1 Environmental degradation and livelihoods 12

3.2 Climate change and livelihoods 14

4. Summary of Part one 16

Part two: institutional framework, involvement and the role of NGOs 17

5. National policies and institutions 17

5.1 governmental institutions managing Ghana’s water resources 17

5.2 IWRM on national level: the policy and mandated institutions 18

5.3 Chieftaincy 19

5.4 Rights of access and control over natural resources 19

Land ownership 20

Taboo systems 20

Claiming rights 20

5.5 Stakeholder coordination 21

5.6 Non-governmental organizations, donors and the national government 22

6. Basin management 23

6.1 Setting up of the board 23

6.2 Basin plan 24

6.3 Current state of the board 25

6.4 Future of the board 27

7. Consultative institutions and local involvement 29

7.1 Local involvement in the government 29

Problems with involvement 29

7.2 Participation within the board 30

Problems with participation 32

7.3 Open access to information 32

7.4 Opinion local stakeholders (bottom-up) 33

7.5 Conflict management 33

8. NGOs and donors in the Dayi River Basin 35

8.1 NGOs and local participation 35

8.2 The importance of NGOs 35

9. Summary of Part two 37

Part three: Conclusions 38
Bibliography

List of Acronyms

CBO Community Based Organisation

CWSA Community Water and Sanitation Agency

DA District Assembly

DI Development Institute

EPA Environmental Protection Agency

GIDA Ghana Irrigation Development Authority

GPRS Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy

GWCL Ghana Water Company Limited

MDG Millenium Development Goal

MMDA Metropolitan, Municipal, District Assembly

MOFA Ministry of Food and Agriculture

MWRWH Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing

NGO Non-Governmental Organisation

NWP National Water Policy (2007)

WD Water Directorate

WEAP Water Evaluation and Planning Model

WRC Water Resource Commission

WSSDP National Water Plan is the Water Sector Strategic Development Plan

Introduction

Integrated Water Resource Management, following the Negotiated Approach, involves local people in the different phases of water management. From the formulation of strategies, to the development and implementation of actions, and the monitoring and evaluation phase.¹ In the Volta Region in Ghana a first step has been taken towards working with the Negatiated Approach by setting up a basin board to manage water resources in the Dayi River basin, including local actors such as chiefs and farmer groups. In this chapter, it will be investigated whether Ghanaian laws, policies and institutions enable public participation in the planning for sustainable and equitable utilisation of the water resources in the Dayi Basin.

This will be done in three steps. First, there will be looked at the resources and livelihoods in the catchment. Thereafter, the relation between the environment and livelihoods will be elaborated as environmental degradation plays a large part in people’s lives. Lastly, the laws, policies and institutions that deal with water resources in the catchment will be dealt with.

The research was done by fieldwork in the Dayi basin during April and May of 2013. Information was collected in the Volta region by interviewing stakeholders, and collecting secondary data in the form of national policies and other documents regarding water. The interviews were held with the different members of the Dayi Basin Board, community members from the village of Woadze and other stakeholders within the catchment. In Accra a more national scope was explored by conducting interviews with the Water Resource Commission (WRC) which is the initiator of the board, and two donor countries on their water policy. For this research institutional support was given by the Ghanaian NGO the Development Institute.