By Opesika Tetteh Puplampu
Ada, (GAR), March 10, GNA-The International Organization for Migration (IOM), has revealed that 77 per cent of some 437 sampled households in the Ada East District engage in open defecation.
According to the IOM such households did not have pit toilets or latrines, resorting to open defecation, and only 23 per cent of the households have access to such toilet facilities.
Those households, it revealed, also relied on canals, open defecation, or the use of bushes and fields.
This was in a recent survey on Population Mobility Mapping for Cholera Response by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Ghana Mission.
The survey was conducted in 10 communities in the district, including Azizanya, Totope, Puteh, Otrokpe, and Azizakpe. Others include Kewunor, Teyemensah Panya, Foah Zongo, Ocanseykorpe, and Kasseh.
It said communities located along major trade routes, fishing hubs, and areas with high population movement, such as Totopey, Pute, and Azizanya, experienced higher exposure levels, increasing the risk of disease transmission across different locations as they serve as transit points for traders, fishermen, and seasonal workers.
“Additionally, the presence of large gatherings, including markets and festivals, has facilitated the spread of cholera through contaminated water and food sources. Limited access to proper sanitation in these high-mobility areas further exacerbates the challenge, as open defecation and poor waste management contribute to environmental contamination.”
The IOM also disclosed that the recent outbreak of cholera in these areas was worsened by climate-sensitive environments, socio-economic challenges, and complex human mobility patterns, which include recent internal displacement due to the October 2023 floods around the Volta Basin in Ghana, the spillover of the Sahel crisis, and the economic importance of the Abidjan-Lagos corridor.
The survey revealed that Pute recorded the highest proportion of households (17 per cent) not having access to toilets or pit latrines, followed by Azizanya (12 per cent, Otrokpe (11 per cent), Kasseh (seven per cent) and Foah Zongo (five percent).
It added that, on the other hand, Azizakpe, Azizanya, and Kewunor reported no households with latrines.
According to the IOM, the findings underscored a critical gap in access to sanitation facilities across the communities, emphasising the need for targeted interventions to improve hygiene and sanitation infrastructure.
GNA