By Philip Tengzu
Wa, (UW/R), April 18, GNA – The Upper West Regional Inter-Agency Coordinating Committee on Sanitation (RICCS) has achieved about 70 per cent Open Defecation Free (ODF) coverage of the region with 815 out of 1,167 communities attaining ODF status.
Out of the 815 ODF communities achieved, 13 communities were declared ODF within the first quarter of 2023 in the Jirapa Municipality and the Nadowli/Kaleo District in partnership with UNICEF.
Mr Sidik Yakubu, of the Upper West Regional Environmental Health and Sanitation Department (REHSD), revealed this in a presentation during the RICCS meeting held in Wa to bring stakeholders and development partners in the sanitation sector together to deliberate on improving the sanitation situation in the region especially ending Open Defecation.
Representatives from the Community Development Alliance (CDA), Global Communities, Netherlands Development Organisation (SNV), Total Family Health Organisation, Vibrant Village Foundation, and Information Service Department among others attended the meeting under the auspices of the Regional Environmental Health and Sanitation Department (REHSD).
The data indicated that all 88 communities in the Nandom Municipality had attained ODF status while 128 communities in the Nadowli-Kaleo District had attained ODF status out of 141 communities representing 94.3 per cent ODF coverage of the district.
Wa West District had 163 out of 227 communities attaining ODF, Lawra Municipality, 75 out of 94 communities declared ODF; Daffiama-Bussie-Issa had 87 of 105 communities attaining ODF; and Jirapa Municipality 95 out of 116 communities were ODF.
The rest were: Sissala West, 36 out of 55 communities were ODF; Sissala East 15 out of 59 communities were ODF; Wa East, 48 out of 138 communities had attained ODF and Wa Municipality had 18 out of 86 communities being ODF.
As part of efforts to improve the sanitation situation in the region, the EHSD had begun prosecuting sanitation offenders with nine people currently being prosecuted in the Nadowli-Kaleo District.
Mr Peter Maala, the Upper West Regional Coordinating Director, who chaired the function stressed the need for constructive collaboration between the stakeholders to help enhance the sanitation situation of the region.
He said as part of efforts to improve the sanitation situation in the region, there were many interventions by the government and development partners being implemented in the region and needed effective coordination by the RICCS to achieve the needed results.
He expressed the hope that by the end of 2023, the region would achieve three districts wide ODFs coverage including the Nandom Municipality, which had already attained that status and called for concerted efforts of the stakeholders and partners to make that a success.
Madam Freda Natu, the Upper West Regional Director of the EHSD, also advanced the need for all stakeholders to put hands on deck to help tackle the sanitation situation in the region saying, “Issues of sanitation in the Upper West have been a serious challenge.”
She observed that most municipal and district assemblies in the region did not prioritise issues of sanitation, which was the reason for their minimal support to the sector.
Mr Salifu Issifu Kanton, the Executive Director of CDA, reiterated the need for the government to increase its resource allocation to the sanitation sector saying, “State investment in state agencies in charge of sanitation is dwindling over the years.”
Partner Civil Society Organisations at the meeting made presentations on their activities in the region contributing to the fight against Open Defecation and other sanitation-related issues.
GNA