Boreholes Provision as a Key Factor in Facilitating Poverty Reduction in Rural Communities - A Study of the Atebubu and Afram Plains Districts of Ghana

This study assessed the impact of ‘boreholes provision as a key factor in facilitating poverty reduction in rural communities in the Atebubu and Afram Plains Districts of Ghana’. Prior to boreholes being provided in these two districts the major cause of poverty was identified as the lack of potable water. Poor health was common due to recurring infestation with water borne/related diseases contracted from patronage of surface water sources. These diseases, especially guinea worm, physically incapacitated both adults and children. Thus, ill-health and time poverty due to long hours spent searching for water combined to deny adults of basic substantive freedoms and compromised their ability to engage in productive livelihood activities to earn income to facilitate their emergence from poverty. Also, the tedium of searching for water in the physical environment affected the physical health and cognitive capacity of the children resulting in very poor learning experiences at school. The general objective of this study was to examine the extent to which boreholes provided in the Atebubu and Afram Plains Districts facilitated poverty reduction. Three hypotheses relating to how boreholes provision has impacted health and hygiene, promoted quality education, and facilitated occupational livelihoods income poverty reduction were stated and tested to validate or refute the trends noticed in the study area. An integrated approach was used in collecting field data involving the use of both quantitative and qualitative research methods. Other relevant information was obtained from secondary sources. Findings from the study show that, 96.9% of respondents indicated complete eradication of guinea worm from their communities and directly attributed that to boreholes provided, resulting in freedom from the incapacitating disease and improved health. Also, 96.1% of respondents indicated boreholes facilitated improved personal hygiene. Boreholes also facilitated growth in occupational livelihoods, increased earnings from occupations and facilitated wealth creation as indicated by 88.6% 9 of respondents. Provision of boreholes helping to facilitate improved education was indicated by 91.3 % of respondents. In contrast, evidence from Control communities show that water borne/related diseases such as diarrhoea, guinea worm, skin diseases, and schistosomiasis were in high occurrence as indicated by 76.3% of respondents. Poor occupational livelihoods portraying endemic poverty, was indicated by 100% of respondents. In terms of contribution to knowledge, the study revealed that within geographic space, providing boreholes and their consistent patronage facilitates the emergence of substantive freedoms which constitute intangible wealth that creates opportunity for people to reduce poverty and eventually realize their potentials in life. This concept is termed as ‘the freedoms platform concept in geography and in rural development.’ The study recommends boreholes provision as a vital poverty reduction strategy, especially to be based on the new paradigm of ‘freedom platforms concept for rural development.’ Also further research should be conducted on how the gains in poverty reduction through the provision of boreholes may have resulted in comprehensive economic and social development transformations in the study area. This will help unearth another model of rural development which can be adopted and replicated to promote the well-being of people in many rural communities globally.

Source: KNUST