Urban Water Management

The rational for the research was to assess the quality of treated water supplied to Western Accra by the Weija headwork. The quality of water treated at the headwork before distribution and its quality in selected households were assessed. In all, one hundred and thirty-five (135) samples from twenty-seven (27) sites at the headwork and selected households were investigated. One hundred and twenty (120) samples of stored water from storage facilities in selected households in the study area were also investigated. The quality of water from the headwork, in terms of physico-chemical and bacteriological characteristics was generally good (WHO and EPA standards). The physico-chemical quality of tap water in the Districts was good,however, total coliform bacteria (0-120cfu/100ml) were detected in about three quarters of tap water sampled while faecal coliforms(0-10cfu/100ml) were detected in about a quarter. Frequent breaks in pipe lines resulted in water leakages, which also served as conduits for contaminant transport into the distribution system.Such contamination could also be enhanced through incidence of negative water pressure from water rationing.