Innovative sanitation equipment developed
The Project Research Director for Barrts Research Centre, a non-governmental research organisation, Captain Victor Batse (retd), has stated that Ghana cannot continue to depend on foreign technology in order to overcome challenges with regards to sanitation.
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According to him, Ghanaians were not adept in the use of many of the foreign sanitation equipment that was brought into the country, a situation that made the devices to break down often. He said consequent to the frequent breakdowns, new equipment were always being imported to replace the old ones and that put a strain on the national purse.
He advocated the situation to be reversed quickly in order for the nation to save money.
Mr Batse said this at an exhibition on sanitation innovation held in Accra. He said a way out was for Ghanaians to become innovative and create equipment that came with very little cost which they could effectively control and repair by themselves without difficulty.
Exhibition on sanitation innovation
The exhibition was organised with the aim of unveiling modern sanitation appliances solutions which communities, schools and even households could use to solve sanitation challenges.
Mr Batse observed that the metal and plastic litter bins that were in use in the country were not only costly but also got damaged easily.
A number of forward-looking gadgets were put on display at the exhibition. Among them were concrete litter bins, candle holders that allowed candles to burn for about six hours and locally-made water dispensers.
Concrete litter bins
The concrete litter bins, which come in various sizes, can hold sacks in place for litter to be dropped in.
Mr Batse disclosed that the cost of one plastic bin could be used to produce 15 concrete bins. He said the concrete bins could not be damaged easily and were easy to dislodge.
“The nation needs to adopt cost-effective measures in order to save money for development projects,” he said.
He urged district assemblies to adopt the new concept in containers for holding rubbish and place them at vantage points for easy disposal.
He said the use of concrete bins would also encourage people to separate their waste before transfer to final disposal sites.
“By segregating waste, its collection becomes easy for waste-collecting companies,” Mr Batse said.
A participant in the exhibition, Mr George Nsiah, lauded the idea of a concrete litter bin, noting that if it was adopted by the government, it would go a long way to assist in solving problems posed by insanitary conditions in the country.