Archibald Letsa: Don’t depend on government for toilet facilities

Dr Archibald Yao Letsa, the Volta Regional Minister, has urged residents in the region and Ghanaians at large not to wholly depend on the government and donors for household toilet facilities.

The minister spoke on Friday (19 November), during this year’s World Toilet Day celebration in Ho, an event birthed by the United Nations to annually remember the world to stop practising open defecation. 

Dr Letsa said, more than 90% of households in the Volta Region are living with poor sanitation hence the need for everyone to put in an effort by constructing individual toilet facilities in their homes. 

He said, “what we need to do is to come together as a region to promote the construction of household latrines, educate ourselves to stop open defecation, and put an end to solely depending on donors or government to provide toilets for us in our homes.

“We should also change our minds from depending on public toilets which are often poorly managed and create many health hazards. I know that with determination we can within five years declare the entire region defecation-free’’

Kumedzro Stella, the Volta Regional environmental health officer who was also present at the event said, open defecation is a threat to health while research has shown that women and children are becoming more vulnerable to the menace. 

 “All over the world, open defecation is becoming a great challenge. People attach taboo when you mention faeces and as a result of that there is increased open defaecation rate resulting in the transmission of oral diseases and it is affecting mostly women and children,’’ she added.               

Winifred Lartey   

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