Stakeholders in Water and Sanitation Hygiene (WASH) have expressed worry that the Upper East Region continues to sit at the bottom of the table of the Open Defecation (OD) table. The region has continually been in this position, lagging after its neighbours in Northern Ghana. Open Defection (OD), open urination and littering are among the many unsanitary practices in the region.
The Regional Coordinator for the Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) Charles Yinbil Awuni speaking on A1 Radio’s Day Break Upper East said there needs to be a conscious effort by residents to protect the environment.
“We have this man-environment relationship. When you do good to the environment, there is a payback and that will be that you will be healthy. When you also decide not to respond well to the environment, it bounces back to you. When you go to OPDs, most of the illnesses are sanitation-related.”
“Open Defection is still prominent in the region. Unfortunately, Upper East Region still ranks number one in the country for defecating in the open. It is rather unfortunate but it has come to be like a generational issue. Its health impact on us is so great that we need to talk about it so that we can see how we can address it,” he said.
He cautioned that the public, saying that the disease cholera is only dormant but could cause an outbreak, should the unfortunate sanitation situation in the region persist.
Mr. Awuni continued to say “when you go to the hospital and the laboratory technician says you have typhoid fever, what it means is that you have eaten someone’s faeces or you have eaten your own faeces. A survey was conducted in the region and the results were alarming. What we are drinking is not safe”.
For his part, the Regional Focal Person for Monitoring and Evaluation at the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) Mohammed Adam disclosed that out of every 7 random residents in the Upper East Region, only 1 has a properly functioning toilet facility in his/her home. Also, 3 out of every 4 random households picked in the region do not have household toilets. Occupants thus have to resort to open defecation.
“Imagine big people having vehicles and they will come and park and enter the bush to practise open defecation. It is a shame to us in the region and we need to step up our game to ensure that we catch up to the other regions,” he lamented.
A1Radioonline.com|101.1MHz| Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith|Ghana
