By Kingsley Mamore
Dambai (O/R) Aug. 22, GNA- The Nkwanta North District Assembly has been ranked first among the eight districts and municipalities of the Oti Region in the latest Open Defaecation Free (ODF) compilation.
Kadjebi and Nkwanta South Municipal occupied the second and third positions respectively.
Krachi Nchumuru, Biakoye District, Krachi East Municipal, Jasikan Municipal Assembly and Krachi West came last.
An assessment of the practice of open defaecation and the attempt to eradicate it through construction and use of household latrines conducted by the sanitation units in the eight Municipalities and Districts Assemblies for the second quarter of 2022.
The report revealed that the Krachi West Municipality had the highest percentage of people engaged in open defaecation, while the Nkwanta North District Assembly, Kadjebi Districts and Nkwanta South Municipality, had the least percentage of people practicing open defaecation.
Madam Sybil Marie Boison, the Regional Environmental Health Officer (REHO), said the surest way of achieving ODF status in the region is a change in the attitude of people.
She said this during their second Regional Inter-Agency Coordinating Committee on Sanitation (RICCS) meeting of the Oti Regional Coordinating Council (ORCC) in Dambai.
She told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that defaecating in household toilets provide privacy, safety, comfort, cleanliness and respect for family.
She urged all landlords and the general public in the region to construct and use household toilets and stop the practice of open defecation.
Madam Boison again advised all MDCEs to emulate the examples and efforts of these municipalities and district and support them to achieve ODF status across the region through applying and lobbying WASH Programme NGOs to their districts.
She stated that the league table was not meant to name and shame any District but rather to encourage them to work hard to achieve ODF status.
She cautioned butchers using casinogenic substances such as lorry tires for singeing carcasses across the region to stop immediately and use firewood or gas if they wanted to singe at all costs, to avoid prosecution.
She acknowledged all GoG/WASH Programme Implementing NGOs (UNICEF, World Vision and Global Communities) in the region for their investments.
She appealed for more, especially in Districts, they have not yet entered in the Oti region.
Madam Boison told GNA that the need to wash the hands regularly cannot be underestimated hence Hand Hygiene for All (HH4A) pilot-model.
Fortunately, out of the seven districts selected to pilot the HH4A-model in Ghana, two is from the Oti region (Kadjebi District and Krachi West Municipal).
She encouraged the selected districts and Electoral Areas to do their best to contribute to the success story.
GNA