Mr. Thomas Imoro Sayibu, Chairman of the Coalition
of NGOs In Water And Sanitation (CONIWAS), on Wednesday stressed the need for Ghanaians to have access to clean toilets.
At a press conference to mark the World Toilet Day, Mr. Sayibu said a number of Ghanaians used public toilets while others defecated in the open irrespective of health concerns, due to lack of toilet facilities in their homes.
The Day, under the theme: "We Deserve Better" is celebrated on November 19 every year to remind people that clean toilets were crucial to good health and it came in the wake of Ghana's progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals on sanitation.
Mr. Sayibu said the enforcement of building regulations by the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies appeared to be weak because many homes in Ghana lacked toilets as landlords and landladies had converted household toilets into living rooms and houses.
"Our beaches that are strategically placed for recreation, also appear to be places for defecation due to lack of toilets in our homes," he said.
He said according to the Ghana Statistical Service Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) report for 2006, more than four million Ghanaians defecated in the bush, open drains, water bodies, or fields instead of using a latrine.
He said only Tema and some satellite systems in parts of Accra, Kumasi and a few other cities were the only places that could boast of sewerage system.
He said according to the Environmental Health and Sanitation Directorate, only about 4.5 per cent of Ghanaians had access to a sewerage system.
He appealed to the government to task the appropriate agencies to enforce building regulation and ensure that every landlord and landlady adhered to this regulation.
He therefore reminded the Ministry of Local Government Rural Development and Environment to set up a task force that would clearly define the indicators, terminologies and minimal standards for measuring what constituted an improved toilet.
CONIWAS therefore appealed to metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies to enforce the building code which directed that every house must have a toilet facility and any landlord or landlady who defaulted would be prosecuted.
Mr Sayibu also entreated all sector stakeholders to continue to explore the communities to promote latrine facilities.
He called on government, development partners and other key players in the sector to facilitate and provide concessionary loans and micro credit schemes to landlords to enable more households to own toilets.
Mr Sayibu entreated the political party that would win the elections to pursue strategic policies on sanitation to accelerate progress in the sector, especially in poor urban and rural communities.