Ghana: Changing Urban Environmental Ills in Slum Communities

Abstract

Against the background of the recent CSD-12 session (see page 146) and its issues of water, sanitation and human settlements, the following article paints a vivid picture of the many problems to be overcome at community level if even a little progress is to be achieved. Taking Ghana as an example it shows that, at the present pace, the goal of halving by 2015 the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation and to improve significantly the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers by 2020 would appear unattainable.