Research

Participants/lenses
Divya Puvvadi (environmental) -
o Overlap:
Chapin, getting the government interested in the issue enough to make
governmental change and how to get backing and support
o Climate Change and Pollution are the two biggest causes of the water crisis in
Ghana.
Climate change causes an increase in the earths temperature which is
beginning to cause droughts around the world
o In Ghana, the problem isnt a lack of water, there are many sources of surface
water around the country. The main problem is that there is a huge lack and
inaccessibility of water that is safe to drink.
o The main sources of heavy pollution in Ghanaian surface water is the practice of
illegal mining combined with the lack of proper sanitation and disposal of sewage
and water waste.
Illegal Mining:
Most commonly called Galamsey
Requires the use of mercury and other heavy metals that then get
dumped into the rivers
Galamsey mostly happens on river banks
Poor sanitation:
Only 77% of people have toilets, and only 30% of those toilets
flush
The lack of plumbing and lack of waste disposal services has led to
tons of sewage and waste being deposited on the river banks and
streets
o Both of those sources stem from human action, so they are completely
preventable. This is why the best solution would be to create legislation that
would prevent these forms of pollution.
Chapin (Political)-
o Overlap:
Joanne: is funding from outside sources a good way to promote the
economy?
Serena: Will help from outside companies be accepted and approved by
Ghanaian people from different cultures?
o Ghanaian government initiatives:
Strengthened Democratic Governance: Civil Organization Sustainability
Index Score, freedom in the World political rights sub-score for electoral
processes, percentage of citizens expressing trust in the Ghana Electoral
Commission, women in office or running for office.
Sustainable Economic Growth: Percentage of targeted farmers and others
who have applied new technologies or management practices, value of
new, private-sector investments in these select value chains, prevalence of
households with moderate to severe hunger
 Equitable Improvements in Health Status: Percentage of births attended by
a skilled doctor, nurse, or midwife, number of people in target areas with
access to improved drinking water supply
Improved Reading performance: Number of teachers and educators trained
with US support, number of learners enrolled in US supported pre-primary
schools, number of targeted District Education Offices meeting standards
for education management
All of these issues lead to institutional bottleneck!!!
o Problems with government management / current system:
Lack of coordination and planning with private companies: Solutions that
private companies provide often times not long term or well maintained.
Private water companies have no real incentives to expand services to
disadvantaged urban communities, which tend to have a high
concentration of low income dwellers.
Lack of urban planning: These poor urban communities are mostly
populated by squatters and migrants workers, lack basic amenities, and
usually have very poorly developed infrastructure. This means that certain
demographics are being denied access to clean and safe water. If the
government didn't intervene they would be allowing a system that
discriminates against certain social groups
o Countries with similar Issues:
The government in Rwanda has been working closely with a private
company that brings in low cost and sustainable technologies that improve
water access and sanitation and it has been largely successful.
o Solution: Increased government involvement and sponsorship of private
companies especially in urban areas where they are not receiving as much aid.
They should work with a private group because they have many other initiatives
and working through government programs could be less effective.

Joanne Chen (investors, Funding, economics) Chapin, Environmental

o People are paying private suppliers for their water
Very expensive
o Lower costs
Get investors to invest in the water crisis and creating an incentive for
them to do so
Self-sustainable funding Right now, they are too reliant on outside
sources
o Highlight the long-term benefits
o Ghana GDP per capita (current US$): $1,369.70 USD (2015)
o Info on how much debt theyre in:
https://www.ghanabusinessnews.com/2017/11/27/ghanas-total-public-debt-
stands-at-gh%c2%a2138-9b-bank-of-ghana/
Randi Perry (medical implications)-
o Overlap
Joanne not enough funding for vaccinations
Serena not enough parents are educated to make the oral rehydration fluid.
 o Water-borne illnesses in Ghana: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and
typhoid fever, schistosomiasis
o main sources of water for household use are piped supply, rivers, boreholes,
harvested rainwater and streams
o National Institute of Health
Diarrheal diseases are among the most frequent causes of morbidity and
mortality in children worldwide, especially in resource-poor areas.
Diseases include
Rotavirus- Transmitted via water. Common in children because it
is transmitted in the fecal matter
Shigella spp./EIEC- Fecal Oral route Typically infected persons
through food poor hygiene is a contributor
Norovirus- fecally transmitted via food or water
o CDC
7th leading cause of death is diarrheal disease
4%
Malnutrition is number 10 people spend time gathering water instead of
cooking or earning money
3%
o Treatments for these include
Oral rehydration fluid (Salt, sugar and clean water)
Easily teach people how to make it to give to their children
Vaccinations
only licensed vaccines for rotavirus and cholera, and Salmonella
typhi-based vaccines for typhoid fever. -NIH
potential for a combination ETEC/Shigella vaccine - NIH
Serena Baserman (social/cultural implications)
o Education
o Economics
Jack House (engineering)
o Use of surface water that can be easily contaminated
o Collection of rainwater

Interdisciplinary solution
o Policy
No Squatting
No Illegal mining
Focus on lessening pollutants in the water
o Education
educating parents re: oral rehydration salts
need for boiling water even when its inconvenient
norms around open defecation: create demand for toilets? (Gates
Foundation)
Community-based interventions re: allowing equal access, not making
water collection a womans issue
o Medicine
 Keep kids hydrated
Clean Water
Oral Rehydration Fluid
Vaccinations and Antibiotics
Educating parents how to take care of their children and when to seek help
o Economics
Maintain healthy relationships with existing investors and partners (The
World Bank)
o Engineering
Implement rainwater collection to lessen use of surface water sources
o Politics
Increased urban planning especially in high poverty areas
Increased federal funding
Increased federal policies that could help maintain the solutions
Total solution
o Lessen Pollution to reduce contamination of water
Sanitation infrastructure
No illegal mining
Increase Urban Planning (More sanitation systems)
o Collect clean Rainwater (43 and 83 inches a year)
Community wide structures and individual collection
Funding from world bank or other partners
o Teach healthcare
Importance of sanitation
Importance of boiling water
Importance of Oral Rehydration Fluid
Seeking care when the illness has progressed too far
Shift cultural norms away from open defecation