Residents of Keta in the Volta Region are sounding the alarm about the increasing practice of open defaecation in the area, particularly at the sea and lagoon shores which threaten the health of the public.
This practice has raised concerns about the likelihood of a cholera outbreak which could have severe consequences on the communities in the area.
Ghana News Agency has identified the cause of open defaecation in Keta as multifaceted with some residents have attributed it to the lack of adequate toilet facilities, while others believed it was due to a lack of awareness about the risks associated with the practice.
Madam Success Sika Dovlo, a retired Nurse and Public Health Promotion Officer at Keta, indicated that some effects of open defaecation were far-reaching and could have severe consequences for the environment and human health.
She said when human waste or excreta was deposited into the sea or other water bodies, it could contaminate the water and pose a risk to human health and open defecation may also attract disease-carrying insects and rodents which would further increase the risk of disease transmission.
She explained that preventing open defecation required a multi-faceted approach which include provision of adequate toilet facilities and promotion good hygiene practices and urged communities to work together to create awareness about the risks associated with open defecation and promote behavior change.
Madam Dovlo said that solving the challenges of open defecation needed a collaborative effort from all stakeholders and the district assemblies could play a crucial role in providing resources and support to communities to address the issue while communities can also work together to identify solutions and implement them.
“Open defaecation is associated with a range of diseases, including cholera, diarrhea, and dysentery, and these diseases can have severe consequences for human health, particularly for vulnerable populations such as children and the elderly,” she said.
She lamented how many residents in and around Keta Municipality resort to defecating at the shores of the Keta lagoon and the sea which endangered the health of aquatic animals as well as consumers.
She tasked the district health sanitation department to form a taskforce to help prevent open defecation and punish the culprits to serve as an example to others.
She said the task force could also play a crucial role in raising awareness about open defecation and provide education and training to the communities before enforcing the laws to regulations related to sanitation issues.
“The most annoying thing about the whole incident is that some communities have public toilet facilities but have refused to go and do it there, I don’t understand.”
She urged landlords to also have toilet facilities in their various apartment before hiring to prevent such open defecation which could endanger many other communities in the area.
Some fisherfolks GNA engaged at Keta have lamented about the practice of open defecation, which they believed was contaminating their water bodies and posing a risk to their health and have called for urgent action to address the issue and promote good sanitation practices.
They said the act needed urgent and immediate attention and the stakeholders such as assembly members, unit committee members and the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) to work together to provide adequate toilet facilities, promote good hygiene practices, and help enforce laws and regulations related to sanitation.
GNA also observed that open defecation has been in high alert in the communities such Keta central, Abutiakope, Tetevikope, Vodza, Adzido, Kedzi, Havedzi, Anlo-Afiadenyigba among others.
GNA also gathered that, the United Nations estimates that about 892 million people worldwide practice open defecation, and which was a major contributor to the spread of cholera and other diseases within many communities along the coast in Ghana.
GNA
