Welcome to Water Resources Commission

Integrated water resources management (IWRM) is a process, which promotes the coordinated development and management of water, land and related resources, in order to maximize the economic and social welfare in an equitable manner without compromising the sustainability of vital ecosystems. An important aspect of the Water Resources Commission’s work is to devolve certain of the IWRM functions to a decentralised level with the river basin as the geographical area of focus.

For this reason, two river basins (Densu and part of White Volta) were selected as pilots to test capacity building, participatory approaches and public awareness strategies. The main aim is to transfer knowledge to the local level concerning introduction of regulative measures (raw water permits and charges), and to start targeted initiatives towards conservation and management of the catchment area with the river basin as the unit for planning.

The “flow chart” depicts the sequence of steps – the process – guiding the Water Resources Commission (WRC) towards creation of a viable structure for a decentralised basin-based IWRM framework in Ghana.

The Densu Basin pilot programme

The Densu Basin has an area of 2,490 km2 and spans 10 district assemblies. There are about 200 settlements in the basin and the total population is approaching 600,000, equivalent to 240 persons per km2. This figure is considerably higher than the national average of about 100 persons per km2.

The main occupation is agriculture, which engages about 40% of the economically active population. The vegetation consists of coastal savannah, thicket and grassland in the south, and moist semi-deciduous forest in the north. The river takes its source from the Atewa Range near Kibi and flows for 116 km into the Weija Reservoir before entering the Gulf of Guinea through the Densu Delta Ramsar site. The mean annual runoff is 500x106 m3. The Densu River is of specific importance since includes the Weija Reservoir which supplies water for approximately half of the Accra metropolitan area.

From the onset of the pilot programme, much effort was devoted to creating a suitable basin-based management structure. The institutional framework, which by early 2004 officially became established centres around the following entities: (i) WRC Densu Basin Office, (ii) the Densu Basin Board (which administratively is established as a WRC sub-committee) and (iii) the Planning Offices of the District Assemblies.

Other achievements and activities carried out in connection with establishing an appropriate IWRM structure and setting for the operations of the Densu Basin Board include the following:

» Appointment of a WRC Basin Officer and support staff in 2002.

» Rehabilitation and refurbishment of premises to accommodate the Densu Basin Secretariat in Koforidua.

» Acquisition of equipment / facilities for the Board’s Secretariat.

» Study report prepared: “Identification of Major Trends in the Socio-Economic Development in the Densu Basin of Relevance for IWRM”, by the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER), University of Ghana, Legon (February 2002).

» Study report prepared: “Compilation of Participatory Methods of relevance for IWRM in the Densu Basin”, by the Institute of African Studies (IAS), University of Ghana, Legon (February 2003).

» Study report prepared: “Groundwater Assessment: an Element of Integrated Water Resources Management – the Case of Densu River Basin” by the CSIR Water Research Institute (July 2003).

» Guideline report prepared: “Towards Establishment of an IWRM Structure for the Densu River Basin” (June 2004).

» Application of a modelling tool (WEAP) for overall basin-based water balance and assessment for various possible future water demand and supply situations.

The White Volta River Basin pilot programme

The White Volta Basin is part of the greater Volta Basin and drains three countries namely, Ghana, Burkina-Faso and Mali. It has a catchment area of about 48,000 km2 and spans all of Upper East Region, and significant portions of Northern and Upper West Regions in Ghana. The main tributaries in the Ghana section are the Kulpawn, Nasia, Mole, Red Volta and Morago rivers.

Considering the vast nature of the basin and population distribution, the pilot is limited to the upper catchment of the basin, starting at the confluence of the Kulpawn River to the border with Burkina Faso.

The pilot programme is about to start with the appointment of a WRC Basin Officer and establishment of offices in Bolgatanga with effect from January 2005.

One of the lessons learnt through the first phase of these activities is that obstacles do exist concerning decentralisation of decisions to the district or other local level in the pilot basins, where the IWRM concept is tested. This is basically caused by the complexity inherent in the IWRM concept, administrative traditions and lack of capacity/resources in the administrative system. This lack of capacity initiates reactions from central level as well as creates hesitancy at local level to accept a higher degree of authority and take on responsibilities.

Therefore, the key to success is that all project partners fully understand and accept the concept of IWRM, and that they are capacitated to implement the concept. This, in turn, calls for - among other things - the development of tools that guide and support the relevant authorities at the different levels involved in the decision-making process with emphasis on the district assemblies.