CONIWAS joins Child Sanitation Diplomat to mark World Toilet Day at Dowamya
CONIWAS joins Child Sanitation Diplomat to mark World Toilet Day at Dowamya
Some members of the Coalition of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in Water and Sanitation led by the Executive Secretary joined the 2022 Child Sanitation Diplomat and pupils of Methodist B School in Dowamya in the Ningo-Prampram Municipality in the Greater Accra region to mark this year’s World Toilet Day (WTD).
The 2022 WTD celebration on the theme: “Sanitation and Ground Water” began with a float through some principal streets within Dowamya with school children holding placards with inscriptions such as: “one house one toilet project”, “stop Open Defecation”, “Health is wealth.”
During the float, Ghana’s 2022 Child Sanitation Diplomat, Maame Akua Ohenewaah Gyimah, pupils of Methodist B Basic School sensitise drivers, food vendors, traders, and commuters on the need to own a toilet in their homes.
Addressing the gathering at the durbar, the Executive Secretary of CONIWAS, Mrs. Basilia Nanbigne, called on households to construct decent toilets and end open defecation.
The Executive Secretary of CONIWAS explained that open defecation was extremely harmful to public health, adding that sanitation is an issue of basic dignity, and safety of women, children, and the vulnerable.
According to her, even though much is being done by the government, NGOs, Civil Society Organisations, and development partners in the area of sanitation, Ghana still lags behind.
Touching on the theme for this year’s celebration, Mrs. Nanbigne, said it has been observed the way and manner we managed sanitation both liquid and solid waste has been contaminating our groundwater.
Executive Secretary of CONIWAS, Mrs. Basilia Nanbigne
As we are all aware, the pollution of groundwater comes with lots of negative health implications for our well-being, and for this and many reasons, this year’s celebration of WTD is drawing public attention to it so that people will treat their waste properly.
“Everyone’s health is threatened when some people in the community did not have safe toilets as well as proper dumping sites”. She added.
2022 Child Sanitation Diplomat, Maame Akua Ohenewaah Gyimah
Meanwhile, the 2022 Child Sanitation Diplomat, continued her appeal to parents to provide toilets in their homes.
According to Maame Ohenewaah Gyimah, it was high time households stopped relying solely on public toilets, which are often poorly managed, thereby creating health hazards to the public.
A WHO/UNICEF 2021 report revealed that 3.6 billion people globally did not have access to safely managed sanitation.
Ghana’s sanitation is pegged at 25%, while open defecation is still on the high side at 18 percent meaning over seven million of the population are practicing open defecation.
