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Conflicting necessities: prefiguring pit latrine and quality of groundwater linkages in Ghanaian communities

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Abstract

The relationship between pit latrine siting and the quality of groundwater points has gained currency in extant literature. This paper aims to examine this relationship in some communities in Ghana. We argue that while the construction and use of pit latrines have been a welcome upgrade intervention to improve on-site sanitation, the consequent contamination of groundwater quality remains a challenge. Drawing on research in Ghana and evidence from selected communities in the Sissala West District, we found that there is the contamination of groundwater which are attributable to the siting of pit latrines with a depth above 2 m. Through our analysis of the siting of groundwater points in relation to existing pit latrines as currently practiced, it reveals that contamination occurred within a 50 m radius of water points and where the water points were located downstream of the pit latrines. In this relationship as revealed from our findings, we recommend that guidelines governing the siting, construction, and usage of pit latrines should be adhered to strictly to prevent contamination of groundwater sources.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank all who assisted in conducting this work.

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The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environment and Resource Studies, SD Dombo University of Business and Integrated Development Studies, WA, Wa, Ghana

    T. K. Binado & A. B. Kpieta

  2. Department of Geography, SD Dombo University of Business and Integrated Development Studies, WA, Bamahu, Ghana

    S. T. Amoah

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  1. T. K. Binado
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  2. A. B. Kpieta
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Binado, T.K., Kpieta, A.B. & Amoah, S.T. Conflicting necessities: prefiguring pit latrine and quality of groundwater linkages in Ghanaian communities. Int J Energ Water Res 7, 245–257 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42108-022-00222-z

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