Local communities stand the risk of contracting communicable diseases such as cholera, when residents defecate in the open, raising health concerns.

Many non-governmental organisations working in the area of sanitation in the Upper West Region are seeking the powers of traditional rulers in their jurisdictions to consider passing community by-laws to help curtail the menace.

“I would urge traditional leaders to enact and enforce community laws and regulations against open defecation to prevent diseases,” Mr Bipuah said during the celebration of open defecation day by the people of Pigbengen.

The residents were urged to reconstruct their collapsed toilet facilities and also keep their bathrooms neat to avoid outbreak and spread of diseases.

Mr Mohammed Siibu, a nurse in charge of Vieri Health Centre, said the facility has not received any cholera cases from Pigbengben for the past four years due to good environmental practices.

He attributed the feat to the community’s ability to set itself free from open defecation by ensuring each household had toilet facility.

The communities that continue to engage in open defecation were urged to emulate the gesture of the people of Pigbengben to improve their health conditions.

However, the residents of Pigbengben were advised against complacency after attainment of ODF status but work harder towards achieving total sanitisation status.

The Regional Monitoring and Evaluation Officer of Environmental Health Science, Mr Inussah Agambire, expressed profound gratitude to the people for their efforts and pledged to lobby for support from donor agencies for them.

Mr Jamil Wuni Iddi, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer of the Environmental Health and Sanitation Unit of the Wa West District, appealed to communities that were still practising open defecation to copy the healthy lifestyle of Pigbengben.

Pigbengben is among the 130 ODF communities in the district, which local authorities advised to strive to be a sanitised ODF community before the end of the year.

Madam Yakubu Nafisa, a member, shared her experience about how the community were confronted with snake bites and diseases when the people were engaging in open defecation.

“Sometimes you would be defecating only to realise that the person you feel shy of is coming your way,” she said.

 The Pigbengben community ODF celebration which was attended by chiefs, Environmental Health Practisioners, NGOs and other dignitaries also witnessed awards of certificates to some deserving hardworking individuals who contribute.