Open defaecation gets out of hand around University of Health & Allied Sciences; lecturers, chiefs fingered
A resident of Sokode Gbogame, a suburb of Ho in the Volta Region where the University of Health and Allied Science is situated, has revealed on Onua FM’s Yen Nsempa Wednesday, May 2 a disturbing situation of open defecation in the area.
According to him, the act is common among inhabitants in and around the University because they do not have any public place of convenience.
“The only one toilet which serves 3,000 inhabitants has been closed for over four years now ever since an old woman who was manning the toilet passed away,” he revealed.
He said workers, residents, chiefs and even lecturers who live in and around the school go to toilet in bushes.
“University of [Health and Allied Sciences] is just around the area and all the population of about 3,000 is indulged in open defecation,” the resident explained.
He added: “It is a very big area without public toilet and there is a school, RC Primary, that is where the open defecation is massive”.
“There is a popular chop bar in the area; ‘Maybell Chop Bar’ and almost all the politicians in the Region eat there when they are going to the region but nothing is being done about it.”
The resident said the situation gets worse anytime it rains as the raining water brings all the human excreta into the towns to homes of the residents.
The Assembly Member for the Sokode Gbogame Electoral Area, Josper Amudzi alias Ken Yooyo, confirmed to Yen Nsempa that indeed,” there is no one public toilet in the area. There is an abandoned one and that needs to be renovated before it can be used”.
He explained that the district assembly has changed its focus from constructing public toilets to ensuring that each household is able to provide a toilet.
“The Assembly is not constructing public toilets again but [it] is rather focusing on the project to ensure that every household gets its own toilet facility,” he explained.
The Ho Municipal Chief Executive, Nelson John Akorli, said he is also aware of the open defecation in the area but the assembly is working on ensuring that every household gets its own toilet facility.
“I am aware of the open defecation and they have public toilet but not enough”, the MCE said.
He, however, added that there is the need to provide public education to the people on the need for household toilets
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