The document summarizes a study on the cost of rural and small town water service delivery in Ghana's Bosomtwe District. The study used a life cycle cost approach to determine the capital, operation and maintenance, and capital maintenance costs of providing water services through small town piped systems versus rural handpumps. The results showed that the capital expenditure and running costs for small towns were about twice and four times higher respectively than for rural water point systems. However, small towns provided a higher standard of water service. The conclusions recommended that district water plans incorporate full life cycle costs and asset replacement, and that the government increase funding to support post-construction maintenance and operations.

1. Ghana Water Forum Cost of rural and small town water service delivery in the Bosomtwe District by Appiah-Effah E., Nyarko K. B., Dwumfour-Asare, B. , Moriarty, P.

3. Objectives

4. Methodology

5. Results

8. 56% of rural people have been served with handpumps

9. 62% served under small-town piped water systems.

12. Poor

13. Non poor

14. Study Areas

15. 1No. ST,

16. 10 No. SC

19. The data used to calculate the Expenditure on Direct Support (ExpDS is from CWSA and DAs’ (DWSTs) annual reports.

21. Results-Cost of providing water services

23. Running cost of small towns cost four times that of the water point systems.

24. The small towns provide high acceptable service compared to water point system

25. Capital maintenance is not being undertaken in a systematic manner, and expenditure on capital maintenance is very low and most often not available.