By Philip Tengzu
Wa (UW/R), June 7, GNA — The Upper West Regional Inter-Agency Coordinating Committee on Sanitation (RICCS) has called for the strict prosecution of sanitation offenders as part of efforts to curb poor sanitation practices in the region.
The committee said effective law enforcement remains critical to addressing persistent sanitation challenges, particularly indiscriminate waste disposal and the continued practice of open defecation, especially around the Wa forest reserve.
Madam Freda Naatu, Upper West Regional Director of the Environmental Health and Sanitation Department (EHSD), made the call in Wa during the second quarter meeting of the RICCS.
The meeting was attended by representatives of government agencies, civil society organisations, non-governmental organisations in the sanitation sector, and Zoomlion Ghana Limited, among others.
Madam Naatu expressed concern about sanitation conditions in the Wa Municipality, noting that about 65 per cent of households either rely on public toilets or practise open defecation.
She said the EHSD, in collaboration with the Municipal Assembly, was considering enforcing a “one shop, one dustbin” and “one household, one dustbin” policy to ensure that every shop and household has a waste container for proper waste management.
She also raised concerns about practices such as dumping refuse in bushes, indiscriminate disposal of liquid waste, and the connection of household toilet systems to public drains.
“We want to see people prosecuted for sanitation offences, particularly those who fail to make provision for proper waste management,” she stressed.
Madam Naatu added that the EHSD was working with the Wa Municipal Assembly to implement strategies aimed at achieving sustained improvements in environmental sanitation and food safety, with plans to scale the approach to other Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies in the region.
Pognaa Fati Issaka Korey, Upper West Regional Coordinating Director, commended committee members for their efforts in promoting improved sanitation through various Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) interventions.
She urged the committee to strengthen monitoring mechanisms across districts to improve sanitation outcomes and encouraged assemblies to actively involve assembly members in sanitation campaigns and community-led initiatives.
Ms Prospera Konkuri, Gender and Social Inclusion and Social and Behaviour Change Advisor at the Netherlands development organisation, said the organisation planned to drill 26 boreholes in 26 communities and construct seven WASH facilities in schools, including changing rooms for girls, in the Nandom and Lambussie Districts.
She added that 10 incinerators were also being constructed in health facilities in those districts to improve medical waste management.
Mr. Godwin Lambon, Behaviour Change and Innovation Officer at Vibrant Village Foundation, said the organisation had drilled 48 boreholes in operational communities and supported the construction of resilient latrines through its Social Investment Fund.
They reaffirmed their commitment to supporting district assemblies and sanitation authorities to achieve sustainable sanitation and hygiene outcomes in the region.
GNA
Edited by Audrey Dekalu
Reporter: Philip Tengzu
Email: [email protected]