Jirapa-Ghana, (UW/R), Oct. 31, M-CODe/WV/GAMA – 59,000 domestic toilets have been built by the GAMA Sanitation and Water Project (GAMA SWP) to increase accessibility in the Greater Accra and Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Areas.
These lavatory facilities were built in low-income urban communities to support government initiatives and help the country reach the Sustainable Development Goals 6 (SDGs 6). This is according to Mr Gabriel Engman, Sanitary Engineer, GAMA SWP.
Global goals 6.1 and 6.2 of the UN call on all nations to end open defecation, provide adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene to all citizens, and ensure that everyone has access to safe and affordable drinking water by 2030, with special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations.
Mr. Engman stated that the GAMA SWP has further supplied 598 gender-friendly sanitation facilities in the two metropolitan regions during an interview conducted off-site at the 34th Mole Conference, which is now taking place in Jirapa in the Upper West Region.
A World Bank-funded initiative, the GAMA SWP aims to improve sanitation, water supply, and environmental sanitation services. It began in the Greater Accra area in 2015 and eventually spread to the Greater Kumasi area.
According to Mr. Engman, the project has helped Ghana Water Limited expand and supply water to 15,000 homes in the areas where it is being implemented.
Although there was still a lot of work to be done and everyone needed to support the administration in improving the country’s water and sanitation conditions, he expressed doubts about the nation’s ability to meet the UN Global Six target.
About 170 people, including legislators, government officials, practitioners, Members of Parliament (MPs), and Municipal and District Assemblies (MDAs), are expected to attend the four-day conference on the theme “building inclusive and resilient Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) systems to reach the unserved,” which CONIWAS is organising with assistance from its partners.
Some Media Coalition against Open Defecation (M-CODe) members are also being sponsored by World Vision Ghana and the GAMA Sanitation and Water Project to attend the conference.
In order for the country to achieve the most benefit, Mr. Engman expressed optimism that the project will receive further funding from the World Bank and be expanded to other regions.
He continued by saying that in addition to the physical infrastructure, the initiative has taught assembly workers and members of the legal system and given them guides on how to use the biodigester toilets.
In order to properly handle the disposal of liquid waste, it has also constructed two sewage systems: one in Ashaiman and the other in Bankumam, both in the Tema Metropolitan Area.
