Head of Cape Coast Metropolitan Environmental health and chair of the urban Sanitation Project, Mr. Iddrisu Shani is urging the public to take advantage of the project which has one of its aims of providing decent toilet facilities for every household in the metropolis.
He notes that the increasing rate of sanitation crisis and defecation in the open is a result of inadequate access to improved toilets in low-income urban areas and hence this project will help provide more toilet facilities in the metropolis.
The project which was implemented in 2021and funded by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) seeks to promote productivity and raise living standards in Ghana’s major cities, especially for lower-income people, by improving drainage, sanitation, and solid waste services.
According to a United Nations report, a shocking 85 percent of Ghanaians still lack access with close to 4.8 million practicing open defecation.
This leads to 4,000 annual diarrhea death cases, loss of families’ productive economic hours, water resources pollution, risks of sexual assault and missed schooling.
In an exclusive interview with ATLFM NEWS, Mr. Shani emphasized that this project was more sustainable as compared to past initiatives developed to curb open defecation.
He said the idea is simply to get anyone without a toilet facility to get one.
‘Those who want to sign up for the project you can contact us. We have trained artisans we can link you to and who can get to your place and then do an evaluation for you. We’ll give you the costs depending on the seats you want to construct. Also if you have an existing facility, that one our trained artisans will estimate for only the things you need.”
He, therefore, admonished Ghanaians to participate in this worthwhile project in order to achieve the goal of decent toilet facilities for every household in Ghana.
For interested persons who lack funds to construct the toilet facilities, he indicated that there are credit facilities available.
According to him the project is making available some loan facilities.
“We call it Basic sanitation fund. So, people who cannot get the funds to build outright, are given the chance to access an almost interest-free loan from partner financial institutions to construct it and pay over time, that is within 12 calendar months. So this project does not leave anybody out.” He emphasized.
He however noted that the tail end of the project will be enforcement where individuals without toilet facilities will be punished.
He added that “this project has a time frame within which it will stop. So it is an opportunity for those who do not have a toilet facility to take advantage. If they don’t take advantage and the project ends then that’s all, you wouldn’t have access to such an opportunity to own your toilet in your house and do your own thing at your comfort.”
Mr. Shanni, therefore, admonished each individual without a toilet facility to take great advantage of the urban sanitation project
Source: Emmanuella Ama Gyamfi/ATLFMNEWS
