The Greater Accra Metropolitan Area Sanitation and Water Project (GAMA-SWP) has succeeded at reaching averagely 1,100 homes, monthly, with toilet facilities in about 11 municipal areas.
The project also targeting 200,000 pupils has constructed and rehabilitated toilet facilities for over 234 schools in 21 municipalities.
The GAMA-SWP is a project sponsored by the World Bank with support from the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources to reduce the rates of open defecation in the Metropolitan Area, as well as promote sanitation and good hygiene
The 150 million dollars grant provided by the World Bank is aimed at supporting low income urban communities in Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in the Greater Accra Region to have access to improved sanitation and water supply.
Kwadwo Antwi Gyasi, Sanitation Engineer, GAMA said his team had to package the process, package the system to make sanitation attractive to make investors come to invest in.
“So we did that and we were able to meet the demand and that is one of the contributing factors in us reaching such high numbers. After laying a very strong foundation, we had to boost our supply,” he said at a meeting with the Media Coalition against Open Defecation (M-Code) in Accra.
He added: “we had the highest number we constructed in October where we did almost a 1500 in one month, currently we are doing an average of about 1100 every month.”
He explained that for the project, municipal assemblies are the main implementing agencies, where the project unit is providing technical supervisory role.
“So if you want a toilet facility you go to the municipal assembly. What we’ve done with the municipal assembly is to empower them to perform their duties, and normally they are supposed to ensure that their citizens have household toilets, and we have been able to do that.
Ga West is leading with over 2600 toilet facilities, with LADMA at the bottom with about 570, which are figures from 2016 till date. We map all toilet facilities with GPS positions for monitoring and maintenance purposes,” he said.
Mr Gyasi revealed that the Sanitation Ministry is in a process of standardizing construction of bio-digesters by developing a national construction manual that will guide the construction of bio-digesters which will be followed by nationwide trainings and certification.
Dr Doris Yaa Dartey, Patron of M-Code called on stakeholders and citizens to bring an end to open defecation as she describes it as a matter of national disgrace.“Yes, this is a matter of national emergency. We also urge individuals across the length and breadth of our country who defecate in the open to change their attitudes and feel the shame.
It does not make any sense that some homes provide kitchens but ignore the outcome of the digestive system,” she said.
Source: Ghana/Starrfmonline.com/103.5FM/ Senanu Damilola Wemakor
