A Development, Water and Sanitation Consultant, Mr Ibrahim Musah, has called on all Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), in the country, to strictly enforce by-laws on provision of toilet facilities by landlords, to stop open defecation.
According to him, even though such by-laws existed, it has been difficult to ensure all houses have access to toilet facilities.
“We want to appeal to assemblies to revise such by-laws, get them gazetted, approved and strictly implemented to ensure landlords provide toilet facilities for tenants before they rent the houses.
Mr Musah was speaking at the opening of a two-day capacity building workshop, organised by the Ghana WASH Journalists Network for some selected regional representatives in Ejisu near Kumasi last Friday, to educate journalists on sanitation and open defecation.
The Ghana Sanitation and Water Project (GSWP), under the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources (MSWR), and †1 Global Fund of the Roddenberry Foundation, assisted the Network to hold the event on the theme: “Achieving open defecation-free Ghana by 2030. The role of the WASH journalist.”
Mr Ibrahim Musah expressed worry that some house owners refused to provide toilet facilities even though they took rent from tenants for a number of years.
He said there was the need to educate house owners about laws on the provision of toilets “so that when they fall foul of the law, the law will catch up with them.”
Mr Musah reminded the public that open defecation caused typhoid and cholera.
“Lack of toilet facilities in households is not decent and health wise it is not good, especially it tramples on the dignity of women who have to leave their homes and find places to ease themselves,” he said.
Mr Musah stated that the citizenry had a collective responsibility to protect the environment.
The Head of Communication for the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA) Sanitation and Water Project (SWP) being implemented under the MSWR, Mr Adama Koranche, said his outfit had worked hard to increase access to improved sanitation and water supply in the country.
He said SWP has implemented the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA) and Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Area (GKMA) projects, to ensure access to affordable toilet facilities.
He appealed to the public, especially those in the low income communities, to apply for the provision of toilet facilities at affordable and subsidised cost.
FROM AMA TEKYIWAA AMPADU AGYEMAN, EJISU
