Sanitation situation in Kassena Nankana West District appalling

Participants at a durbar organised by World Vision Ghana (WVG) at Sirigu in the Kassena Nankana West District, at the weekend expressed dismay about the poor sanitation condition in the area.

Speaking on the overview of sanitation situation in the area, acting Environmental Health Officer of the District, Mr John Achegiwe Tambola, said the assembly lacked special vehicles to covey waste from public places of convenience.

He said this led to the overflow of human excreta at toilets posing health danger to the general public.

Mr Tambola said out of the 92 schools in the district, 54 were without toilets, and 25 schools were also without boreholes, compelling school children to go to their homes to drink water during classes.

He said that apart from the eastern part of the district, where WVG supported households to dig latrines, and provided water facilities to schools under its Water, Sanitation and Hygiene programme,   the sanitation situation in  the rest of the area  was poor.

Mr. Tambola appealed to the authorities to employ more people to work at the environmental health sector.

He said: “ In  the past the sector had employers such as conservancy labourers who swept inside public toilets and its surroundings. There were also sanitary labourers but now these categories of workers are no more and they are now few to handle the huge sanitation problem”.

Stakeholders, including traditional rulers, assembly members and teachers, at the end of the durbar, suggested periodic clean up exercises, sensitization of community members about good sanitation practices and enforcement of by-law on sanitation by the assemblies.

Source: GNA