Two communities in the Garu Tempane District of the Upper East region have put an end to open defecation in their areas.
The communities, Tubong and Kariyata have after a sensitization on the negative effects of open defecation put up self-built latrines to curb the practice. This came to light during a tour by journalists with officials from the Regional Environmental Health Department at the Regional Coordinating Council and UNICEF to ascertain the situation there following sensitization of the communities in January 2014.
According to community members, they used to experience sanitation related diseases in frequently especially among children who are the vulnerable in society and prone to sicknesses. Again, women before could not cultivate vegetables from their farms because open defecation was making the vegetables unhygienic for human consumption. Among other negative effects of the open defecation according to them, was the retardation of children’s growth with some growing only in the stomach.  But after being sensitized on the negative effects of the practice, they made frantic efforts to put up mud-built latrines roofed with thatch. Unlike some communities who may think that there is the need for support from assembly or an NGO, some of them built their latrines through communal labor.
Tubong, a community with a population of 569 and 53 houses now enjoys an open defecation free status with 51 latrines likewise the Kariyata community which has a population of 520, 35 houses and 35 latrines. Both communities were triggered in January 2014 and have since relentlessly achieved their goal of ending open defecation. Bukari Kojo James, a former assembly member for Tubong who spoke to A1 News said the communities are now in joy because the sanitation related diseases have since reduced drastically. The communities have therefore, put in place strict measures to punish whoever tries to practice the act. More surrounding communities are now emulating the good move by these communities but there is the need for communities in every part of the country to make efforts in ending open defecation since it is a threat to a nation’s health.
Speaking on A1 Radio’s Top Voice with Albert Azongo, the regional Community-led Total Sanitation Focal Person, Asayuure Juventus revealed that the two communities adds to six the number of Open Defecation Free communities in the Garu Tempane district. He further stated that the Upper East Region has 27 communities being declared Open Defecation Free and by the end of the first quarter of this year, 36 other communities will be verified. He lamented the level of open defecation in the region which stands at a high level of 88.6% making the region, the worst region in Ghana. However, he was optimistic that the situation will change since the response from the rural communities is encouraging.
It is possible to achieve this success story in the urban centers through sensitization under the Town-led Total Sanitation projects which will see the prosecution of recalcitrant residents who will not provide latrines for their houses. The phenomenon is becoming a threat and the government of Ghana has set the year 2020 to end open defecation. Open defecation costs Ghana US$79m annually, yet eliminating the practice would require less than one million latrines  JMP 2010 source say.
By: Adugbire Cletus | A1RADIOONLINE.com | GHANA
