Asuogyaman District adopts bye-laws to deal with open defecation
The Asuogyaman District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Samuel Agyekum, has said the assembly has developed bye-laws to deal with open defecation in the area.
He said hitherto, the assembly did not have bye-laws to deal with sanitation issues in the area, hence the new bye-laws were meant to support the fight to rid the district of open defecation which had become rampant in the area.
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The DCE made that call when he inaugurated a 10-seater toilet facility constructed by the Nkosoohemaa of New Akrade, Nana Sarkwabea, for the New Akrade community near Kpong last Friday.
The 10-seater toilet facility, valued at GH¢70,000, has basins for hand washing.
Defecating
“Those caught defecating will be dealt with according to the laws,’’ Mr Agyekum warned.
He, therefore, urged the assembly to form a strong collaboration with chiefs and other opinion leaders to help tackle the problem of open defecation in the area.
He noted that the increasing rate of open defecation in the area did not only have health implications on the people but was also a blot on the image of the district.
He promised that his outfit would construct a borehole at an estimated cost of GH¢15,000 to ensure the smooth running of the facility.
The Asuogyaman DCE announced that the district assembly would soon build a chief’s compound at New Akrade, adding that plans were underway to put up an ultra-modern clinic in the area to serve as a referral centre in the district.
Maintenance
Mr Agyekum urged the managers and users of the facility to put in place proper mechanisms to ensure proper maintenance of the toilets.
The Chief of New Akrade, Nana Okrukata V, appreciated the gesture shown by the Nkosoohemaa and added that “this is the first time a citizen from New Akrade has undertaken such a development project in the community, and I urge others abroad to follow suit”.
He said open defecation spread diseases and in the long run, a lot of money would be spent to treat those diseases.
Nana Okrukata V promised that the traditional authority would collaborate with the Asuogyaman District Assembly to ensure that culprits were made to face the law.
Nkosoohemaa
Nana Sarkwabea, a volunteer working on a mental health project of the University of East London in the United Kingdom, said she made the promise to construct the toilet facility upon a request by the chief and elders of the community during her introduction ceremony after her installation ceremony in October last year.
She appealed to the residents of New Akrade to take sanitation issues seriously to keep them healthy.
“When I was a child, I saw many people die of various diseases which could have been prevented,” she said.
