Ghana has a long way to go in achieving Open Defecation Free (ODF) status, a senior public official cautioned here on Monday.
This is because, urban slums, unlike rural areas lack toilet facilities for households, making people defecate in drains around these slums while others also defecate in open spaces.
Theodora Adomako-Adjei, Extension Services Coordinator for the Communoty Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) made these observations when she addressed a national sanitation discussion and debate organized here to find effective ways of dealing with Ghana’s sanitation challenges.
The forum WAS organized by Multi-Media Broadcasting, a leading Ghanaian media house in conjunction with STAR (Strengthening Transparency, Accountability and Responsiveness in Ghana )the umbrella body of some Ghana’s Development Partners including Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA), European Union (EU) United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and United Kingdom Agency for International Development (UK-AID).
“To stop open defecation, people must have access to descent toilets in their homes, schools or work places,” the official stressed.
She lamented the practice of people especially urban slum dwellers defecate in polythene bags and then throw them into open drains, in litter bins or open spaces which creates nuisance and health hazards for other members if the community.
This phenomenon which has assumed common name “flying toilets” in Ghana often happens at dawn when people stand afar off and throw their human excrement into open drains, with passers-by risking being hit by the “shit-bombs”.
Another practice is when people store their household excrement waiting for rains to come so they pour the yellow liquid waste into drains to be washed away.
A public Health Practioner and Water and Sanitation Consultant, Dr. Mark Tettey pointed out that the recent cholera outbreak in the country was the result of bad sanitation practices.
“Accra alone recorded 20,000 cholera cases between June and December 2014with varying statistics from other regions across the country.
“Cholera is a public health issue and this is because most of our households lack toilets facilities and so resort to open defecation,” Dr. Tetteh observed.
He lamented that most vegetables grown in urban areas are irrigated with water from drains that are highly contaminated with fecal matter.
Dr. Tetteh urged sector players to take holistic action to deal with the sanitation menace so as to reduce the disease burden of the country.
Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Julius Debrah urged the private sector and Non Governmental Organizations to continue supporting government’s efforts in dealing with the sanitation menace.
“Sanitation is a shared responsibility, and so your contributions are highly appreciated and we should continue mobilizing communities to help deal with waste,” Debrah urged.
By Justice Lee Adoboe
