By Caleb Kuleke
Ho, Nov. 22, GNA – Madam Comfort Sunu, Deputy Environmental Health Officer at the Ho Municipal Assembly has said that Urine Divert Dry Toilet (UDDT) was essential in protecting underground and surface water from pollution.
She said the technology involved in building the UDDT was unique as the vault containing the faecal matter was built above the ground level and the urine also separated from the faeces into a container, preventing the toilet from contaminating the waters.
The Ho Municipal Assembly with funding from the Global Dry Toilet Association, Finland, has been promoting the use of Dry Toilet at homes and institutions in the Municipality since 2015, for a sustainable environment.
Madam Sunu, speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency at the World Toilet Day celebration at Mawuli Estate in Ho, urged households and institutions to embrace the urine divert dry toilet initiative.
The Environmental Health Officer said they would continue to promote the UDDT to ensure a clean and safe environment and they were also ready to provide technical assistance to households and institutions that would want to construct the toilet.
She disclosed that a total of 62 households and six institutions including the Ho Technical University, Anglican and Housing L/A Basic Schools were using the facility, while three were currently completed for School of Hygiene and Freetown Basic School.
Mr Anani Ayite, Volta Regional Director of Ghana Geological Survey Authority implored the citizens to contact the Geological Survey when constructing toilet to avoid polluting underground and surface waters.
He said underground water flowed through fractures in the earth and from high levels to low levels so when people unknowingly constructed toilets on these fractures the spillage would run into the water and contaminate it.
Mr Ayite asked the citizens to seek expert advice when constructing these facilities including landfill sites and cemeteries to avoid contaminating the fresh underground and surface waters and to protect the environment.
GNA