THE WHITE VOLTA SUB-BASIN - Sustainable Irrigation Development in the White Volta Sub-Basin - page 11

Figure 2.2: Hydrograph of the Volta River and Rainfall at Navrongo (Data
source: Obeng-Asiedu, 2004)
The geographic distribution of the population within the basin is highly
variable with a density ranging from 8 to 104 persons/km 2 . The total basin
population is expected to grow significantly from an estimated 18.6 million
in 2000 to approximately 33.9 million in 2025. This represents a growth rate
of 2.5 % per year. Population in the Volta Basin is generally rural (64-88 %)
and most people depend to a large extent on the exploitation of the natural
resources for their livelihood, which may not be environmentally sustainable
in the future (Barry et al., 2005).
The major uses of water in the Volta Basin are rainfed-agriculture, hydro-
power generation, irrigation, fisheries, domestic water uses, industrial and
mining water uses, livestock and water transport.
2.2 W ATER G OVERNANCE IN THE V OLTA B ASIN
Joint water governance of the Volta Basin emerged out of collaborations
between Ghana and Burkina Faso on the Volta Basin. In April of 2004, the
Ministers in charge of water resources of Ghana and Burkina Faso signed the
Ghana-Burkina Joint Declaration, which acknowledged common water and
environmental issues and stated a desire to collaborate on management of
shared water resources through a Volta Basin Technical Committee (VBTC),
involving all riparian countries.