Spatial analysis of urban expansion and household water supply in the Tamale Metropolis, Ghana

The last two decades has witnessed rapid urban expansion which continuously threatens quality water supply in cities globally but is very pronounced in developing countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. The objective of this study is to assess the nexus of urban expansion and households’ access to water supply in Tamale Metropolis, Ghana. The study is anchored on the dependency theoretical philosophy and employed mixed methods with explanatory research design. Spatial data was processed and analyzed using Landsat 7TM in ArcGIS for 2000 and Landsat 8 for 2020 in a remote sensing environment was used to categorize four land use classes, and change detection matrix to detect the extent of urban growth for the study. Non-spatial data was collected from households using Kobocolect toolbox. Near matrix was further conducted to measure household proximity to water distribution pipelines in the Metropolis. The study revealed that only 66 % of the households in the study area are within the UN’s requisite radius of 500 m to water distribution pipelines, with the rest relying on private water vendors and dams for their water needs. The undertaken overlay analysis shows that households that are within the inner ring of the distribution lines are those largely connected to pipe water supply. We recommend that the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly should collaborate with the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) to decentralize water supply distribution systems to sub-Metropolitan areas to ensure quality water provision for the populace.