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GEOGRAPHY OF URBAN WATER SECURITY AND VULNERABILITY: CASE STUDIES OF THREE LOCALITIES IN THE ACCRA-TEMA CITY-REGION, GHANA

Abstract Details

2017, Master of Arts, Miami University, Geography.
Sub-Saharan Africa has been in the news for its water insecurity in the past few decades. The debates of water insecurity and vulnerability in sub-Saharan Africa center on water as an economic good vis. a human right, urbanization, urban water politics, water supply systems, water governance, and climate change. Yet, existing literature has been at best limited within the context of these issues to identify and take cognizance of the specific geographical contexts and locally-based attributes that drive water insecurity and vulnerabilities in the sub-region. This thesis interrogates the geography of urban water security and vulnerabilities in the Accra-Tema City-Region (ATCR) of Ghana through case studies of three localities. Field interviews with 16 institutional respondents and informants, and 36 heads of households, surveys, and mapping of surveyed houses are used. Based on realist epistemology and a content analysis the paper addresses three research questions. First, what is the state of water (in)security and vulnerability within localities with different class status and geographies? Second, why do specific water (in)securities and vulnerabilities present in these geographies with different socio-economic class status? Third, how can water be secured in these different geographies? The thesis produces two significant findings. First, both geography and socio-economic class of households influence household water insecurity and vulnerabilities. Second, centralized and disjointed nature of urban water provision, governance and management make the attainment of water security a difficult development goal. The thesis argues that geography matters in achieving household water security in the city-region, hence, devolving functions in urban water provision is essential for solving water provision problems over local geographic space.
Ian Yeboah (Advisor)
David Prytherch (Committee Member)
John Maingi (Committee Member)
96 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Asante-Wusu, I. (2017). GEOGRAPHY OF URBAN WATER SECURITY AND VULNERABILITY: CASE STUDIES OF THREE LOCALITIES IN THE ACCRA-TEMA CITY-REGION, GHANA [Master's thesis, Miami University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1497868343954842

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Asante-Wusu, Isaac. GEOGRAPHY OF URBAN WATER SECURITY AND VULNERABILITY: CASE STUDIES OF THREE LOCALITIES IN THE ACCRA-TEMA CITY-REGION, GHANA. 2017. Miami University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1497868343954842.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Asante-Wusu, Isaac. "GEOGRAPHY OF URBAN WATER SECURITY AND VULNERABILITY: CASE STUDIES OF THREE LOCALITIES IN THE ACCRA-TEMA CITY-REGION, GHANA." Master's thesis, Miami University, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1497868343954842

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)