The Sunyani Municipal ‘Adolescent Parliament’ has expressed concern about the poor sanitary condition of public toilets at ‘Area Four”, a quarter of Sunyani, and has called on city authorities to work on it immediately to avert outbreak of cholera and other infectious diseases.
They said the bad state of the male and female toilets exposed children to infectious diseases, fearing that with the onset of the rains the place could worsen lead to the outbreak of cholera, diarrhoea, and other infectious diseases.
The Sunyani-based Global Media Foundation (GloMeF), a human rights and anti-corruption media advocacy Non-Governmental Organisation established the “Adolescent Parliament” in line with the implementation of an adolescent-sensitive project in the Municipality.
Master Edmund Kwadwo Osei, the Clerk of the Adolescent ‘Parliament’ raised the concerns when he addressed hundreds of school children at a public forum in Sunyani, organised by GloMeF in line with the project implementation.
He expressed regret that human excreta were often exposed and left open due to the deplorable condition of the toilets, saying the situation put school children at a high risk of contracting infectious diseases.
Master Osei also expressed concern about inadequate waste disposals, dustbins and refuse containers, and called for waste recycling facilities for enhanced waste and sanitation management.
He also urged the assembly to engage more waste and trash collectors to help keep the city clean at all times.
During a visit to the facilities, the Ghana News Agency (GNA) noticed that despite the condition of the toilets, several provisions shops had sprung up, with other food vendors around them while an overflowed refuse container was also left unattended to.
It was further noticed that the toilet facilities were situated close to the St James and St Patrick Roman Catholic Basic Schools in the enclave.
Mr Ameyaw Nti, a sanitation officer at the Environmental Health Unit of the Assembly described the situation as unfortunate and assured that the Assembly would take immediate action to address the situation.
He said Assembly had procured new sanitation vehicles, and more waste containers that would be placed at vantage points for waste collection and advised residents to desist from indiscriminate dumping of refuse.
In an overview, Mr Raphael Godlove Ahenu, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer, GloMeF, said the Adolescent Parliament was one of the critical components of the three-year Resilient City for Adolescents Project, (RC4A).
He said his NGO in partnership with Indigenous Women Empowerment Network and Citizens Watch Ghana, both NGOs were implementing the project, saying the Parliament is a platform for the adolescents in the Sunyani Municipality to influence governance and demand accountability.
The implementation of the 300,000-pounds sterling project is being funded by the Swiss Bortnar Foundation and seeks to improve adolescent lives, Mr Ahenu explained.
Source: GNA
