018530 – SWITCH Sustainable Water Management in the City of the Future Integrated Project Global Change and Ecosystems D6.1.2b Integrated Urban Water Management in Accra: Institutional Arrangements and Map Bertha Darteh, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Marieke Adank, IRC Kwabena S. Manu, Independent Consultant Due date of deliverable: 31st March 2008 Actual submission date: 31st August 2010 Start date of project: 1 February 2006 Duration: 60 months Organisation name of lead contractor for this deliverable: MU & GUEL Project co-funded by the European Commission within the Sixth Framework Programme (2002-2006) Dissemination Level PU Public PU PP Restricted to other programme participants (including the Commission Services) RE Restricted to a group specified by the consortium (including the Commission Services) CO Confidential, only for members of the consortium (including the Commission Services) SWITCH Report of Institutional Mapping in Accra, Ghana INTEGRATED URBAN WATER MANAGEMENT IN ACCRA INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS AND MAP BERTHA DARTEH MARIEKE ADANK KWABENA S. MANU August 2010 [This document presents the results of an exercise conducted to map out the institutional arrangements for urban water management in Accra. This work was conducted as part of the EU- sponsored SWITCH research project.] 2 SWITCH Report of Institutional Mapping in Accra, Ghana Executive Summary This report is a contribution to SWITCH Project deliverables under workpackage 6.1 which looks at Institutional arrangements for Integrated Urban Water Management. It presents the results of the study undertaken to map out institutional arrangements for urban water management in Accra, one of the SWITCH demonstration cities. The study builds on an initial scoping exercise and a stakeholder analysis which included stakeholder consultations and profiling which identified relevant Government Ministries and Departments, local authorities, NGOs, Donor community representatives and water users. The institutional mapping was guided by protocol given by Green (2007) which states that Institutional maps are intended to provide an overview of institutional and governance structures for the management of urban water; focussing on the key actors or players and their interactions, where power is located, who has the ability to influence decisions, and who makes decisions. The study considered Water Supply, Waste Water Management and Storm water Management under the relevant areas of policy, legislation, planning and financing, regulation as well as service provision. The role of the “informal” sector was also considered. The study shows that while there are various policies and laws regarding these different aspects of urban water management, there is no explicit policy on integrated urban water management (IUWM). There is however room for such an explicit policy because integrated water resources management is an existing policy direction. Two significant challenges are noted: 1) the difficulties in enforcing laws and implementing plans of actions, and 2) the way institutions are organised acts as a barrier to integrated urban water management due to the inadequate coordination among sector institutions. Recommendations are made regarding the formation of a coordination platform which can bring together the different stakeholders in different areas to jointly plan towards integrated urban water management in the city of Accra. 3 SWITCH Report of Institutional Mapping in Accra, Ghana TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY --------------------------- ERROR! BOOKMARK NOT DEFINED. TABLE OF CONTENTS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4 1 INTRODUCTION ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8 1.1 Background to assignment ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8 1.2 Terms of Reference ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9 1.3 Methodology ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9 1.4 Structure of report ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 10 2 INSTITUTIONAL MAP OF ACCRA: CONTEXT ---------------------------------------- 12 2.1 Introduction to Accra -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12 2.2 The city’s socio-political internal geographical organisation --------------------------------------------- 13 2.3 Land management ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 14 2.3.1 Context ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15 2.3.2 Custom ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16 2.3.3 Political (public vs local interest) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16 2.3.4 Competing uses ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 17 2.3.5 Policy actions and plans for addressing current challenges -------------------------------------------------- 17 2.4 Urban Water Management -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 17 3 WATER SUPPLY -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 25 3.1 Policy-making, planning and financing Institutions -------------------------------------------------------- 25 3.2 National Water Policy and relevance to Accra’s development ------------------------------------------- 25 3.2.1 Integration in Urban Water Management ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 26 3.3 Legislation ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 26 3.4 Regulation ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 28 3.4.1 Water Resources Commission ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 29 3.4.2 Public Utilities Regulatory Commission ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 29 3.4.3 Policy on Regulation of water services -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 30 3.5 Service provision -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 31 3.5.1 Formal Service Provision and Water Sector Reforms --------------------------------------------------------- 31 3.5.2 Responsibility of providing water to the poor ------------------------------------------------------------------ 32 3.5.3 Informal Sector providers/players -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 34 3.5.3.1 Water tanker operators --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 36 3.5.3.2 Motorized Cart Operators (Power-tiller tankers) -------------------------------------------------------- 37 3.5.3.3 Tanker-supplied Domestic Vendors ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 37 4 SWITCH Report of Institutional Mapping in Accra, Ghana 3.5.3.4 GWCL direct supply Vendors (Neighbour-sellers) ----------------------------------------------------- 38 3.5.3.5 Sachet water producers -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 38 3.5.3.6 Street water sellers ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 39 3.5.4 Civil Society, Consumers, Electorate ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 39 3.5.5 Recognising and Regulating the role of he informal sector: ------------------------------------------------- 39 3.6 STRATEGIC DIRECTIONS FOR WATER SUPPLY ---------------------------------------------------- 40 3.6.1 WATER DEMAND MANAGEMENT ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 40 3.6.2 Barriers and incentives --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 41 3.6.3 Rainwater harvesting ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 41 3.6.3.1 Policy and practice ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 42 3.6.3.2 Technologies -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 42 3.6.3.3 Potential in low income communities in Accra --------------------------------------------------------- 42 4 DRAINAGE SYSTEMS IN ACCRA --------------------------------------------------------- 43 4.1 Background --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 43 4.2 Overview of Social Norms --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 44 4.3 Overview of institutional landscape: Stakeholders, responsibilities and powers --------------------- 44 4.4 Processes of decision-making, policies and plans ----------------------------------------------------------- 45 4.5 Strategic Directions for Stormwater Management --------------------------------------------------------- 45 4.6 Barriers and Incentives ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------