Many public and private toilet facilities in the New Juaben North and South Municipalities in the Eastern region have been shut down following the closure of the liquid waste disposal site serving the Municipalities.
Since the closure of the wastewater stabilization Pond almost a month ago due to spillage attributed to the high magnitude of rainfall recorded in the Municipalities, households and public toilet septics which are full have not been emptied.
This has resulted in the closure of a number of toilet facilities in the New Juaben North and South Municipalities.
Open defecation has since become pervasive in many Communities that heavily depended on public toilet facilities.
Vacuum trucks belonging to the Assemblies and Zoomlion Ghana limited have since been parked.
The only vacuum trucks operating belong to Y&K ventures a private company that charges three times the previous fees to dislodge sewage in Accra for individuals who contract them.
Residents of Koforidua -Betom are feeling the brunt of the situation.
“The two public toilet facilities here have all been closed down for about a month now. So we don’t have any place to go to the toilet. People defecate into polythene bags and throw them here,” a resident said
Another resident, Gloria Nkansah added, “Now people have turned our backyards into toilets. Sometimes you will see a grown-up man defecating, s soon as you see them then they run away”.
A woman who prepares food around one of the affected toilet facilities lamented that hygiene in the area has been compromised due to open defecation.
The wastewater stabilization Pond located along the Koforidua to Akwadum road is under the management of the New Juaben North Municipal Assembly.
Starr News has gathered that the lack of space for the management of wastewater in the two Municipalities amidst increasing population is a major concern.
However, the MCE Comfort Asante was unavailable when contacted for a comment on the issue.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/Kojo Ansah