Provide toilets in homes - Kumasi landlords told
The Environmental and Sanitation Officer of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), Mr Don Awandungo, has asked landlords in the metropolis not to shirk their responsibility to provide toilet facilities in their homes.
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He said the assembly’s bye-laws stated that every house should have a toilet facility.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic in Kumasi, Mr Awandungo said although the assembly continued to provide public toilets in strategic locations, it was important for every house to have a toilet in order to minimise the pressure on the public facilities and also bolster a sound environment.
He stated that the KMA was doing everything in its power to make sure that the people adapted to a more hygienic lifestyle, especially in the provision of toilets.
State of toilets
Since he assumed office about five months ago, the Metropolitan Chief Executive, Mr Osei Assibey Antwi, had made sanitation a top priority.
In his first sessional address to the assembly in May this year, Mr Antwi devoted some time to speak on the state of public and household toilets in the metropolis.
He told the house: “Much as we encourage every house to have a toilet, we cannot also lose sight of the fact that we are far from reaching that target, and besides, some residents and visitors can encounter sudden inconveniences and for that matter we owe it a duty to make provision for decent toilet facilities at convenient locations to serve such people.”
Available statistics indicate that the assembly had 386 public toilets of various technologies located in lorry terminals, market places and residential areas.
Fifty-four of the facilities were, however, in poor condition with the rest either in good or fair shape.
A breakdown of the number of toilets among the sub-metros showed that Asokwa had 26; Subin, 46; Nhyiaeso, 46; Oforikrom, 62; Kwadaso, 32; Bantama, 52; Manhyia, 42; Suame, 25, and Tafo, 55.
Already, the KMA has a compound sanitation scheme which it is implementing in collaboration with the Water and Sanitation for Urban Poor (WSUP).
In all, the scheme has targeted 670 units of toilets for a population of about 10,000 to ensure that every house has a toilet by the end of 2018.
So far, 100 toilet units have been provided in the metropolis.
The WSUP is a multi-sector partnership developing commercially viable models to help cities reach everyone with improved water and sanitation services.
Pan latrine illegal
Stressing further a clean environment, Mr Awandungo said the use of pan latrines in the metropolis was illegal.
However, he suspected that a few people were still hooked to the pan latrines on the blind side of sanitation authorities.
He, therefore, warned that the law would take its full course should anyone be caught in contravention of the law.