A public toilet facility completed at the Bongo Soe Market in 2017 has remained locked and unused for nine years, leaving traders and residents dependent on an old facility they describe as dilapidated.
Bongo District Chief Executive Diana Asoketarige Ayamga has acknowledged the situation, saying an electricity challenge is among the issues preventing the facility from being handed over for public use.
The toilet was constructed during the administration of former Bongo District Chief Executive Peter Ayinbisa Ayamga. Residents say that despite its completion, the facility has never been officially handed over or opened.
John Ayivoore, a volunteer member of the Bongo Soe community, questioned why a facility constructed with public funds had remained unused for nearly a decade while the community continued to struggle with sanitation challenges.
He said the existing toilet at the market is in poor condition and appealed to the District Assembly to urgently make the newer facility operational.
Mr. Ayivoore called on the current DCE and other relevant authorities to visit the facility and take steps to open it to the public.
Market trader and resident Monica Agandaa, said inadequate toilet facilities and challenges with access to water continue to affect the community.
According to her, the old toilet is in poor condition while the newer facility remains locked, putting additional pressure on traders and residents.
Ms. Agandaa warned that the lack of adequate sanitation facilities could encourage open defecation and pose public health risks.
Responding to the concerns in a telephone interview on Bolga FM’s News, Bongo District Chief Executive Diana Asoketarige Ayamga confirmed that the Assembly Member and members of the community committee had drawn her attention to the situation.
She said she subsequently visited Bongo Soe to assess the challenges and engage with the community.
According to the DCE, concerns raised during the visit included the non-functioning toilet facility, challenges with the community’s water supply, issues affecting market stores and the reported theft of three transformers.
Madam Asoketarige said the electricity challenge is one of the key issues affecting the use of the toilet facility.
She said the Assembly is working with Bongo MP Charles Bawa Dua to address the challenges facing the community.
The DCE said she had also visited the Bongo District office of the Volta River Authority to explore possible solutions to the electricity problem.
According to her, once the electricity challenge is resolved, the toilet facility can be handed over to the community for use.
Madam Asoketarige said the Assembly could not continue committing resources to a completed project without ensuring that it serves its intended purpose.
Residents and traders are calling for urgent action to make the facility operational, saying its opening would improve sanitation at the market and reduce pressure on the existing toilet.
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