Rural Household Sanitation Practices Militating Against the Achievement of Sustainable Development Goal Six in Rural Communities Within Ga South Municipality, Ghana

Abstract

The sanitation practices of rural households that hinder the attainment of Sustainable Development Goal Six were investigated in this study. For this study, a convergent parallel mixed-method was employed. The technique of convenience sampling was used to pick 390 household heads, and the purposive selection approach was used to select two key informants from the Municipality. An interview guide was used to interview the two key informants and six households, and a questionnaire was used to survey the heads of the households. The quantitative data was analysed using frequency counts, percentages, averages, and standard deviations, while the qualitative data was conceptually assessed using themes extracted from the literature. Although different rural communities used varied approaches to water and sanitation, it was found that households adopted improved practices regardless of these variances. Household water and sanitation habits were influenced by a variety of factors, including water supply frequency, attitude towards sanitation practices, water quality, financial resources, and cultural beliefs. The main difficult consequence of water and sanitation practices was that houses frequently had to deal with unpleasant oduors or overflowing latrines in the community. In addition to the community's main water supply, residents had access to rainwater gathering devices and wells or springs. Furthermore, sanitation-related activities like waste management programs and cleanup campaigns were carried out in local communities. In order to guarantee reliable and constant access to water and to improve sanitation facilities, it was suggested that the Ga South Municipality upgrade the current infrastructure.