Squatters In Ghana Essay

Squatter areas have grown in such large size and numbers that it has a strong influence on the planning of Ghana’s major cities. The majority of squatter residents in Ghana at present are in Accra; example of such area is Madina.
Another problem related to squatters is the lack of cleanliness in the living area and congested living conditions which result in the squatters living in unhealthy conditions. Due to the lack of sanitation facilities and wastes disposal sites, waste are also thrown into the rivers, such as river Oti and the Korle Lagoon and other places such as the major streets in the neighborhoods, behind the houses of other people and the bus stations. Although some squatters have proper sanitation facilities, majority of them still use the traditional methods of sanitation, which is the ‘free range system” where people defecate in the open. This together with the

Madina happens to be one of the areas in Accra with a large area of slums. Common features of slums include:
• Land Insecurity - Slum dwellers are often ‘squatters’, living on land that they don't officially own. The land is often owned by the government, and there is a constant danger that it may be sold out from under its powerless inhabitants. These displacements exacerbate a poverty that is already oppressive.
• Poor Living Conditions - The houses in slums are often made of any materials at hand, which could include mud, sticks, sheet metal, cartons, and other waste materials. Crowding is typically extreme, with entire families living in one-room structures, and very little space between one structure and the next. Sanitation is often very poor, which contributes to the spread of diseases such as cholera, typhoid, tuberculosis, diphtheria, and bilharzias. Utilities such as electricity, water and sewage disposal are either not available or only available on a very unreliable