Ashaiman-Ghana, Nov. 21, GNA – The Ashaiman Municipal Assembly (ASHMA), in collaboration with Safisana Ghana Limited, a waste recycling company based in Ashaiman, has observed the 2023 World Toilet Day in Ashaiman.
The event was organised with the theme “Accelerating Change”, with the aim of ensuring behavioural change with regards to using decent toilet facilities.
Delivering a keynote address, Mr. Elikplim Asilevi, General Manager, Safisana Ghana Limited, stated that inadequate waste treatment threatened public health.
He stressed that without proper disposal mechanisms, human waste and other pollutants contaminate water sources, resulting in the spread of waterborne diseases.
Mr. Asilevi noted that the accumulation of waste in open gutters often resulted in flooding and the release of untreated sewage into the water bodies, which had the tendency to impact the environment, ecosystems, and biodiversity.
He said constructing hygienic and secure public restrooms played a vital role in attaining the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG6), to eliminate open defecation by 2030.
The absence of adequate toilet facilities compelled individuals to resort to open areas for their physiological needs, with a call on the Municipal Assembly to enforce the laws to ensure residents were able to secure decent toilet facilities in their homes and workplaces.
He revealed that his outfit had the capacity to provide affordable and circular solutions to address improper sanitation issues.
Mr. Asilevi noted that Safisana Ghana Limited ensures proper treatment of waste by working in collaboration with local toilet operators and faecal truck drivers to remove human waste from the communities and convert such unpleasant waste into clean, valuable, and high-quality products such as electricity and organic fertiliser.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Mr. Albert Okyere, Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of Ashaiman Municipal Assembly (ASHMA), said since 2018, the Assembly, in collaboration with the Ministry of Sanitation and the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area Sanitation and Water Project (GAMA-SWP), had constructed over 24 institutional toilets for both government and private schools.
He said the project, which also included the Greater Accra Sustainable Sanitation and Livelihood Project (GASSLIP), also added another eight institutional toilets built under UNICEF.
Mr. Okyere hinted that about 7,000 households toilet facilities were being used in Ashaiman, which, according to him, represented dignity, good health, and improved living standards for the residents.
The Ashaiman Municipal Chief Executive further said the Assembly, with her development partners, has completed the simplified sewer system that serves over 25,000 households in Ashaiman Newtown and Roman Down, stressing that other communities would be connected to the simplified sewer system.
He said it remained the priority of the Assembly to connect more communities to expand its coverage, saying this milestone achievement would ensure that the larger population within the Ashaiman Municipality would have access to safe and efficient sanitation services, contributing to the overall well-being of the residents.
Mr. Okyere expressed gratitude to the participants and the development agencies for making the 2023 World Toilet Day observation a memorable one.
