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“Now, You Have a New Pump, You Have to Manage It.” Quotes from a Hand Pump Manual, Which Was Handed out to Local Water Users (GWSC NO YEAR)

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“Now, You Have a New Pump, You Have to Manage It.” Quotes from a Hand Pump Manual, Which Was Handed out to Local Water Users (GWSC NO YEAR) 1 ____________________________________________________________________________ “Now you have a new pump, you have to manage it.” Household water management, water rights and institutional change in Northern Ghana. PhD thesis in Social Anthropology Irit Eguavoen to the Philosophical Faculty, University of Cologne 1st Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Michael Bollig Institute of Social Anthropology Submitted: 04th April 2007 Defended: 11th July 2007 2 ____________________________________________________________________________ 3 ____________________________________________________________________________ Acknowledgements The study was financed by the BMBF funded GLOWA-Volta research project. It was conducted in the framework of the Bonn International Graduate School for Development Research (BIGS-DR) at the Centre for Development Research (ZEF), which is a universe of its own with many amazing and admirable colleagues. My first thanks go to the supervisors of this work and my former professors. Prof. Dr. Keebet von Benda-Beckmann put me on the ´water right track´ and commented helpfully at all stages of this work. Prof. Dr. Michael Bollig took over the first supervision in an advanced stage of work; his friendly and pragmatic advice encouraged me to follow up my interest in environmental history and political ecology. Thanks also go to my second supervisor Prof. Dr. Michael Casimir as well as to Prof. Dr. Georg Pfeffer who suggested me sincerely to pursue a PhD when I had just passed three semesters of university training; this work owns a part to his early faith in my capacities. I also want to use the opportunity to remind of Prof. Dr. Albert Wirz and Prof. Dr. Georg Elwert, whose teaching were of severe impact for my past and present work. I’d like to thank my colleagues from the GLOWA-Volta project, such as its director Prof. Dr. Paul Vlek, the project coordinators Prof. Dr. Nick van de Giesen, Dr. Charles Rodgers, Dr. Marc Andreini and Dr. Boubacar Barry, as well as Prof. Dr. Solveig Gerke and Prof. Dr. Hans Dieter Evers. Further, I thank Dr. Mathias Fosu and Dr. Veronika Fuest. The current coordinator of the sub-project “Institutional Analysis” Dr. Wolfram Laube, Dr. Charlotte van der Schaaf, Dr. Eva Youkhana and Daniel Spalthoff were always supportive and good company. Christian Sebaly realized the GIS maps of this work, and Dr. Nicola Martin contributed a rainfall chart. Apart from the GLOWA-Volta project leaders and researchers, my thanks go to Michael Acquah, Salisu Adam and Benjamin Haywood, whose practical advice and knowledge I appreciate a lot. Many individuals contributed to the success of the field research in Ghana. I want to thank my research assistants, especially Joseph Awindongo Asakibeem, who was the most reliable and knowledgeable assistant I can imagine, and Wulfred Azanoore, who delivered a very good work by transcribing and re-translating a part of the Nankane interviews. Local water experts were open and interested in exchange and discussing ideas. I thank especially the CWSA and DWST officials in Accra, Tamale, Bolgatanga and Navrongo, the DISCAP team Bolgatanga, Dr. Francis Bacho from the University of Development Studies, Navrongo, as well as all AWSDB board members, WDSB members and water system operators, who introduced me to their work and views. It is impossible to thank Sirigu people accordingly for their warm welcome, love, interest and patience. Field research is not only a time of work but also an intensive life period. Many individuals contributed to the data collection and the good memories Oscar and I will keep of the time spent together. Very special thanks go to my Sirigu friends, in particular to the Abiiro family, the Amiziah family, Peter Anoah and Steve Asamah, Yonas Hamda as well as to Father Ayaga, Father Charles and Father Emmanuel for their kind hospitality. Further, I thank Dr. Robert Tripp. His dissertation provided a very good database on the research site as it used to be thirty years ago. The ZEF research group “Natural Resources, Social Dynamics” served as forum for the discussion and review of chapters. I like to express my gratitude to all of its members. 4 ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Special thanks go to its co-coordinator Dr. Peter Mollinga, Tommaso Trevisani, Dr. Teklu Tesfaye and Dr. Till Stellmacher. Further, I thank Dr. Gabi Waibel, Stefan Haffner, Welyne Jehom Jeffrey, Humaira Daniel, Kazi Maruful Islam, Dr. Dil Bahadur Rahut, Dr. Ali Ahmad Naz, Dr. To Xuan Phuc, Dr. Tamer Afifi and Dr. Rene Capote Fuentes, Dr. Lulseged Tamene, Dr. Taye Kufa and Katrin Zitzmann. Devesh Rustagi contributed to better readability by editing and proofreading the manuscript.You are very special friends and individuals, I am so proud of you. I also want to thank Dr. Frances Cleaver, Prof. Dr. A. Haroon Akram-Lodhi and all other participants of the ZEF master class workshop on “Gender and Development” for their comments and suggestions. Their ideas have been included mainly in chapter eight. The last years were not only an academic challenge but also a period of private worries. My family in Potsdam and my friend Nora deserve special gratitude for accompanying me emotionally, practically, and, last but not least, financially. And of course, I hug my child and thank him for all the boring working appointments he patiently suffered from during our field research in Ghana, the countless kilometers he followed me on his little bicycle through the savannah, the indulgence for his busy mother, and the wonderful moments we spent together. Thank you all and may God continue to bless you and your families. 5 ____________________________________________________________________________ Zusammenfassung (German Abstract) Die aktuelle Trinkwasserpolitik für ländliche Gebiete Afrikas setzt auf das Engagement der Wassernutzer in der Überzeugung, dass lokales Ressourcenmanagement zu mehr Entscheidungsmacht der Nutzer, besserem Zugang und zu größerer Nachhaltigkeit in der Wasserversorgung führt. In Ghana wurden im Rahmen des National Community Water and Sanitation Program (NCWSP) alle Handpumpen und viele kleinstädtische Leitungssysteme aus dem staatseigenen Wasserversorgungsbetrieb Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) ausgegliedert und in kommunales Eigentum umgewandelt. Seit Mitte der 1990er Jahre dominiert lokales kommunales Management diesen Bereich des Trinkwassersektors. Der ländlich-kleinstädtische Subsektor deckt alle Orte bis zu 50.000 Einwohnern ab. Er fällt unter die Verantwortlichkeit einer neu entstandenen staatlichen Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA), welche die Sektorpolitik entwirft, technische und institutionelle Standards festsetzt, Wasserprojekte plant und deren Ausführung begleitet und beobachtet. Entgegen der Annahme, dass kommunales Management das zentralisierte Managementsystem der GWCL ablöste, haben Wassernutzergruppen vor und während des Eingreifens staatlicher Autorität die Wasserversorgung und Verteilung von natürlichen und verbesserten Wasserquellen auf lokaler Ebene (mit-)organisiert und ein lokales Regelwerk geschaffen. Lokales Wassermanagement ist also nicht nur politische Innovation, sondern gleichzeitig eine althergebrachte Praxis, die jedoch auch historischen Wandel unterliegt. Obwohl beim kommunalen Management von Handpumpen und kleinstädtischen Leitungssystemen die gleiche Politik hinsichtlich der Versorgung und des Managements angewendet wird, scheint sich das kommunale Management ersterer besser zu bewähren. Da bisher eine detaillierte Untersuchung zum Wandel lokalen Wassermanagements und institutionellen Veränderungen beim Wechsel der Wasserversorgung von Handpumpen zu Leitungssystemen in Ghana fehlt, können bisher wenig Aussagen darüber getroffen werden, warum dieselbe Politik zu unterschiedlichen praktischen Ergebnissen führt. Das Anliegen der Arbeit war die Sammlung empirischer Daten zur Bildung und Konzeption von Wassernutzergruppen von natürlichen und verbesserten Wasserquellen. Lokale Institutionen für lokales Haushaltswassermanagement waren dabei von besonderem Interesse, ebenso wie deren Wandel unter dem nationalen Trinkwasserprogramm. Dazu wurden Ereignisse, Prozesse und Ergebnisse der Trinkwasserpolitik untersucht, wie sie unter lokalen Wassernutzergruppen zu beobachten sind. Darüber hinaus ging es um die Identifizierung lokaler Interessen im Zusammenhang eines Entwickungsprojektes zur kleinstädtischen Wasserversorgung. In diesem Kontext wurde das Verhältnis von lokalen Akteuren, der Distriktverwaltung und der CWSA untersucht. Die zentralen Fragen der Arbeit lauten wie folgt: (1) Welcher sozioökonomische Wandel vollzieht sich im Untersuchungsort, welche Rolle spielt Haushaltswasser als Ressource für die lokale livelihood, und (2) welche lokalen Wasserrechte gibt es und wie haben sie sich im Kontext des nationalen Trinkwasserprogramms verändert? Welchen Einfluss haben Wasserechte zudem auf die Praxis der Wasserverteilung? Die vorliegende Arbeit überdenkt kritisch die dominierende Wahrnehmung von lokalen Wassernutzern und Wassernutzung. Dazu wurden theoretische Konzepte aus der Ethnologie (institutioneller Wandel) und der Rechtsethnologie (Wasserrechte, Rechtspluralismus) herangezogen. Desweiteren wurden Aspekte aus dem Bereich der Politischen Ökologie und Umweltgeschichte in der Arbeit berücksichtigt, was auch dem Kontext der Forschung innerhalb des GLOWA-Volta Projektes zu verdanken war. Dieses untersucht Auswirkungen 6 ___________________________________________________________________________________________
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