The
Densu basin is a coastal river catchment in southern Ghana and a typical rural
community like all other rural settlements in Ghana. It is the only basin
amongst 43 other basins of the country that supplies water to two regional
capitals of Ghana, namely, the capital city of Ghana, Accra and Eastern
regional capital, Koforidua. The qualities of these water resources vary
naturally and widely depending on climate, season, and the geology of the
bedrock, as well as anthropogenic activities. The primary aim of this research
is to determine data requirements for efficient and cost-effective development of a
Geographic Information System (GIS) to map and detect the extent of the sources
of the watersheds and how to protect the environment for continuous supply of
water. Among the Nine catchment areas, only one catchment？ WSA_05
(Koforidua Township) was determined to have a very high risk of being
vulnerable and therefore required urgency to protect environment for continuous supply of water. Four
catchment areas WSA_02 (Weija Dam), WSA_03 (Apedwa-Asafo), WSA_06 (Suhum) and
WSA_09 (New Tafo) were determined to have a high risk of being affected and therefore there was the need to protect the
environment for continuous supply of water. Ghana as a country will have to
take a responsible step in protecting its water body and its environment to enable continuous
and sustainable supply of water to its citizens. This study therefore reveals the state of the water users and
how urgent it environment needs to be protected.
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