Tema, Sept. 15, GNA – Scores of traders in Tema Community One market have appealed to Government through the Tema Metropolitan Assembly to improve the sanitary conditions by constructing an additional toilet facility.
The traders described condition at the only toilet in the market as insanitary and they were at risk of contracting infections from using it.
Madam Rahinatu Mohammed, a trader at “Kwasie Dwaso” Market, speaking to the Ghana News Agency, appealed to the Assembly to provide an extra toilet facility to ease the pressure on the current one.
She said sometimes, women had to queue for a long period to use the toilet facility, which most often not properly cleaned.
She said some women had complained in recent times of getting infections possibly from using the toilet facility, and called on the Assembly to provide another facility to reduce the pressure.
Madam Rahinatu said because of the need to use the place of convenience and the pressure on the facility, they were forced, even though inconvenient to use plastic disposables and dump it improperly.
According to her, as a result, gutters got choked and the flow of water became a challenge in some parts of the market.
Sister Sarah Annah, another trader, explained that trading at the market had become somewhat inconvenient as pungent odour emanates from the choked drains at the market.
Mr Emmanuel Odame, a caretaker of the toilet facility, said patrons of the facility pays GHC0.40 for urination, while others who took their baths and used the toilet pays GHC1.50 as user fees and given toilet rolls.
“The money we collect on a daily basis is used to take care of the place including cleaning,” he said, explaining that the money collected was inadequate as the water closet was damaged and uses manual process to flash out after each usage.
“Even though we try our best to keep the place neat and hygienic, we plead with the Assembly to construct an extra toilet facility at a different location in the market to enable everyone to use at their convenience,” he appealed.
GNA