An epidemic is looming in the Ada West District in the Greater Accra Region where some residents in many of the communities have resorted to indiscriminate defaecation because the public toilets are not usable.
Whereas some of them engage in 'free range' (defaecating in open spaces), especially around the public toilets, others parcel their faeces in black plastic bags at home and deposit them anywhere in their communities.
Counsellor of Development Canada, Dr. Cheryl Gopaul-Saikali has outlined three expectations development partners in the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector require to achieving the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) on Sanitation. One of such indicators, to her, was bringing information from the field to the national level for inclusive discussion, adding that it would support the up scaling of sanitation.
Ghana's water availability figure of about 40,000 barrels for each person a year in 1960, going by Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) figures, dwindled to about 10,178 barrels annually in 2013. This means there has been a whooping reduction of about 60 per cent of water that is available to every Ghanaian in the spate of 53 years.
The water and sanitation challenges are immense and require the mobilization of more funds, collaboration and mutualization of best practices. In this respect, WSA will be launching a fund to support various initiatives in water and sanitationat the on-going High Level Forum on water and sanitation for all.
According to the Prime Minister of Côte d’Ivoire, HE Danial Komlan Duncan, who officially opened High Level Forum on water and sanitation in Abidjan, Africa cannot remain indifferent while seventy percent of hospital beds are occupied by persons suffering from preventable water and sanitation related illnesses despite the efforts being made by various countries. He said since such a negative situation limits the potentials of individuals in their contribution togrowth and development, “it is imperative to reverse this trend especially due to the rapid population growth in Africa that will cover 25% of the global population by 2050.” “This search for solutions undoubtedly requires the development of an African expertise to serve Africans,” said the Ivorian Minister for construction, housing and sanitation, Mamadou Sanogo.
A collaborative approach between the Ghanaian Government, civil society and business is essential to getting the Millennium Development Goal sanitation target back on track in order to improve the health and prosperity of women in the country. This call comes in a new report jointly published on World Toilet Day by the United Nations hosted organisation Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council, international charity WaterAid and Unilever. The report is published on the first UN recognised World Toilet Day, which serves as a reminder of the 21.6 million people lacking access to an adequate toilet in Ghana, with devastating consequences in particular for the well-being, health, education and empowerment of women and girls in the country.
Wateraid Ghana, an international non-governmental organisation, has blamed Ghana’s sanitation crisis on the lack of will and commitment on the part of the government to deal with issues in the sector.
Speaking with a select group of journalists in Accra on Tuesday, on the current state of Ghana’s sanitation, the Country Representative of WaterAid Ghana, Dr Afia Zakiya, said, “A staggering 87 per cent of the population (more than 21 million people) do not have access to adequate sanitation.
A collaborative approach between the Ghanaian Government, civil society and business is essential to getting the Millennium Development Goal sanitation target back on track in order to improve the health and prosperity of women in the country. This call comes in a new report jointly published on World Toilet Day by the United Nations hosted organisation Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council, international charity WaterAid and Unilever.
Representatives of Nima, Ashiaman, Ada and Mallam communities at a crisis talk on sanitation and hygiene, on Monday described the sanitary conditions in their localities as devastating and endangering human lives. They said open and indiscriminate defecation is rampant while open gutters at lorry stations and markets centres are choked with polythene bags stuffed with human excreta.
Thirty two pupils selected from the ten regions of Ghana have gathered in Accra on Tuesday to discuss their ambassadorial roles to ensuring that water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities are made available and used properly in their schools as well as communities. They are expected to practice whatever they learn about WASH during this period at their various localities and schools. These young delegates would be taught how to keep their water sources clean, proper washing of hands with soap and water and also do a simple test to check the quality of the water they use.
