Main Source of Water for drinking and for other Domestic Use

Main Source of Water for Drinking

Table 8.10 shows that the main source of drinking water for households is river/stream constituting 57.6 percent. About 31.3 percent of households resort to borehole, pump or tube well while 5.8 percent of households use pipe-borne (public stand pipe, in and outside dwelling). This is extremely low when compared with an average of 50.0 percent for the Ashanti Region. Sources like sachet water, bottled water, rain water, spring and tanker service account for very low proportion of households (less than 5.0%).

Main Source of Water for Domestic Purposes

Table 8.10 further shows the main sources of water for other domestic purposes. The data show that source of water for domestic purposes follow the same pattern as that of drinking water. The proportion of households, which depends on rivers or streams for other domestic purposes is 60.8,followed by use of protected sources (borehole, pump and tube well) and pipe-bore accounting for 29.0 percent and 5.3 percent respectively.

 Bathing and Toilet Facilities

Table 8.11 presents information on toilet and bathing facilities used by households in the district.

 Toilet Facilities

The Table shows that more than one-half (51.5%) of households have no access to toilet facilities and therefore resort to open defecation (bushes/beach/fields). In comparison, the population without access to toilet facilities in the District is significantly higher than the average figures for the country (19.3%) and region (6.3%). Open defecation is a major contributor to a variety of poor sanitation-related diseases such as diarrhoea, cholera and typhoid fever. It is detrimental not only to human health but also economic and social development.

The Table further shows that about one-third of the households (28.4%) use pit latrines as toilet facility and 16.9 percent uses public toilet facilities such as water closet, KVIP, pit or pan latrine, etc. The least proportion of households use bucket or pan latrine and other means (not specified) as toilet facilities.

Bathing Facilities used by Households

Table 8.11 shows that 38.8 percent of households use open space around house as bathing facility in the District. In addition, 26.6 percent of households has a bathroom for exclusive use and 14.4 percent share separate bathroom in the same house.. Table 8.11 further indicates that less than 5.0 percent (4.2%) of the households use bathrooms in another house and the least proportion (0.2%) use water bodies (river, lakes, ponds, dams, etc.) for bathing.

Method of Waste Disposal

 Solid Waste Disposal

Table 8.12 shows that a little over two-fifth (44.1%) of households dispose their solid waste at public dump (open space). This occurrence has the tendency of breeding pathogenic microorganisms and vectors of diseases, and cause public nuisance due to unsightliness and bad smell. A relatively higher proportion of households (42.2%) in the District dump their solid waste indiscriminately. The Table further shows that 6.3 percent of households bury their solid waste. The proportion of households in the District whose solid waste is disposed by collection and public dump (container) constitute less than three percent. The least proportion (0.5%) of households uses other methods (not specified) to dispose their solid waste.

 Liquid Waste Disposal

Table 8.12 again shows that about four out every five (74.4%) households throw their liquid waste onto the compound. This is followed by 20.2 percent of households who throw their liquid waste either onto the street or outside their houses. It is observed that less with than three percent (2.4%) of households dispose their liquid waste through drainage system into gutters. The least proportion of households (0.2%) uses other methods (not specified) to dispose their liquid waste.