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African Water Development Report 2006 - United Nations Economic ...

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<strong>African</strong> <strong>Water</strong> <strong>Development</strong> <strong>Report</strong> <strong>2006</strong>Box 6.3Ghana Raw <strong>Water</strong> Quality Criteria and Guidelines LaunchedThe <strong>Water</strong> Resources Commission (WRC), in pursuit of its objectives, seeks to set water quality criteria andguidelines for raw water, assess the status of raw water and classify water bodies into various uses. The mandateof the WRC aims for the conservation of water resources through IWRM not constrained and limited by poorwater quality resources. Reliable data on water quality is of importance for proper management and thereby theprotection and development of water resources for the future. The <strong>Water</strong> Research Institute (CSIR) undertookthe consultancy assignment. The final draft report on Ghana Raw <strong>Water</strong> Criteria and Guidelines has been submittedto the Commission.Objectives: The overall objective of setting raw water quality standards is to characterize water resources of thecountry for various water uses, and for effective integrated water resources management.The specific objectives of setting raw water quality criteria and guidelines are set to specify raw water qualityparameters with specific guidelines for groundwater and surface water.Scope of workPreparation of Draft <strong>Report</strong>, including:(a) Assessment of available raw water quality data in all the river basins;(b) Assessment of existing system of other water quality standards in Ghana;(c) Comparison of Ghana standards with other countries in Africa, Europe and elsewhere;(d) Proposal of realistic standards and criteria; and(e) Identification of gaps in water quality data.Methodology: The water quality characteristics of all the river basins in Ghana were assessed using water qualitydata available. The data was statistically analysed, and a water quality index was used to classify the river basins,which were divided into upstream, midstream and downstream. Criteria and guidelines for water uses was basedon existing water quality data available and on existing literature where no data was available in the country.Ghana Raw <strong>Water</strong> Quality Criteria and Guidelines: Contain information for water uses and these have been classifiedas:1. Domestic2. Recreational3. Industrial4. Agricultural (Irrigation and Livestock)5. Agricultural (Fishery and Aquaculture)6. Aquatic EcosystemThe criteria for various water uses are set for individual parameters such as: algae, aluminium, ammonia, arsenic,asbestos, atrazine, colour, lead, pH, total coliform, faecal coliform, and so on. The list of water quality parametersapplied for the uses of water for each category was different.Source: Adwoa Paintsil, <strong>Water</strong> Resources Commission, GhanaAfrica’s biodiversityAfrica has a large and diverse heritage of plants, animals and microorganisms. It is home to morethan 50,000 known plant species, 1,000 mammal species, and 1,500 bird species. The biological diversityfound in any one area or country varies in complex ways, depending on the physical size, localclimatic conditions, topography, vegetation, and soil types. The estimated number of mammals, birds,flowering and non-flowering plant species found in <strong>African</strong> countries is given in Table 6.7 below(ECA, 2001).138

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