An epidemic is looming in the Amansie West District in the Ashanti Region where some residents in many of the communities have resorted to indiscriminate defecation because the public toilets are not usable.
Whereas some of them engage in ‘free range’ (defaecating in open spaces), especially around the public toilets, others parcel their faeces in black plastic bags at home and deposit them anywhere in their communities.
At Manso Moseaso, the largest town in the district, the residents have refused to use an olden wooden toilet since it was put up by the community members.
The said wooden public toilet is located within the community raising fears among the inhabitants of the community that the situation might lead to an epidemic.
“The situation is very serious and something has to be done about it before we experience any disaster,” Hon Steven Appiah, Assembly member said
Under the circumstance, some of the residents are using the environs of the public toilet and even the backyard of their palace as alternative places of convenience via ‘free range’, which comes at no cost.
Nevertheless, Hon Steven said, some people still risked their lives by using the facility, especially in the night, while others littered the environment with faeces in their raw state or ‘parceled’.
“As we went round examining the situation, he kept cautioning me to be wary of the ‘landmines’ (toilet on the ground), a caution I heeded with a gliding movement.”
He then advised that the wooden toilet should be demolished immediately in order to avert disaster, adding that there was the need for new toilets to be built for the community.
Hon Appiah said the community is considering the demolition of the old toilet facilities and build new ones for the community but has no financial support.
An elderly woman, whose house is close to the public toilet, was so disheartened about the situation that she could not help making her case as she stepped out of the bathhouse.
“I am tired of sweeping toilet every morning,” she said.
Asked where she attends to the call of nature, given the bad state of the public toilet now, she pointed at the bush about twenty (20) metres away.
What is more worrying to DKM who is also an Assembly member for Atobiase, a suburb of Moseaso is that during the cocoa season, some of the farmers dry their Cocoa beans near the public toilets, on the very grounds that they defaecate on.
Moreover, he said, whenever it rained, the rain water collected faecal materials from the toilet onto the immediate surroundings, and considering that there was a houses close by, the existence of that public toilet was not good for health reasons.
Their decision not to use the wooden public toilet is also informed by the fact that the facility was sited in a low-lying area and so whenever someone is passing by, they might see your nakedness making it’s access difficult.
The residents has then accused the District Chief Executive, Hon Ollienu for sitting unconcerned.
According to them, this problem could have been averted or could be resolved if the stakeholders has come together.
See Photos below.
