Abstract:

As water supply in Ghana dwindles, solutions need to be found soon or the country’s 25 million population could be at risk, according to Ahmed Abuhussein, an Environmental Engineering graduate student.

Abuhussein recently spent five months in Ghana where he addressed institutional, social and technical gaps in applying treated wastewater in agriculture. With 66% of Ghana's withdrawn water earmarked for agriculture, the use of treated wastewater could have a significant impact.

Currently, 81% of the country's wastewater is not being treated and of the 9% being collected, less than 6% is 'appropriately' treated. He has conducted field work at a local waste stabilization pond and interviewed local authorities, industries and non-for-profit organizations in the country.

Abuhussein wants to look towards a project that combines technical and monetary aspects that will address the quality of the water and its end use, because the treatment will be different. He has also exclaimed that many small farms use non-treated wastewater, simply extracting what flows through the open gutters on their property.