The Assemblyman for the Atulbabisi Electoral Area in the Bolgatanga Municipality of the Upper East Region, Aaron Abongo has asked media houses, particularly, those within the township to support the Municipal Environmental Health and Sanitation Department’s drive to end Open Defecation. He commended A1 Radio’s commitment to dealing with the menace.
He explained that the media would help highlight the negative consequences of open defecation whilst naming and shaming persons found to be culpable.
Speaking on A1 Radio’s Day Break Upper East Show with Mark Smith, Mr. Abongo explained that to break the continued practise of open defecation, critical attention must be given to enforcing sanitation by-laws in the Bolgatanga Municipality.
Mr. Abongo’s comments come after it came to light that the Bolgatanga Municipality in the Upper East Region reports a concerning 27.7 percent prevalence of Open Defecation (OD). The overall Upper East Region stands at over 50 percent, according to Evans Bornaa, the Bolgatanga Municipal Environmental Health Officer.
During an interview on the Day Break Upper East Show with Mark Smith on July 24, 2023, Mr. Bornaa shed light on the sanitation situation in the area. To address the issue, plans are underway to establish a dedicated task force responsible for apprehending individuals engaged in open defecation during early mornings and late nights, with subsequent court appearances for offenders, he added.
Mr. Abongo said, “I am also happy that your media house has decided to support the Assembly with this campaign. I hope that other media platforms will do the same thing. This sanitation issue is not only for the environmental health department and the assembly. We all need to help to name and shame those doing this. In the long run when there is an outbreak, the outbreak would not know whether you are a teacher or nurse or not. Whoever you are, you would be susceptible to the disease,” he stressed.
Mr. Abongo’s position was buttressed by the Assemblyman for the Soe Central Electoral Area, Lambert Akunzebe.
Mr. Akunzebe charged the media to run a 3-month campaign to help deal adequately with the menace.
Source: A1radioonline.com|101.1MHz|Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith|Ghana
