Five persons punished for openly defecating at Elmina beach
27th June 2019
Five people have been fined GHc450 each by the Komenda Edina Eguafo Abrem (KEEA) Municipal Assembly, for defecating along the beaches of Elmina.
The Komenda Edina Eguafo Abrem (KEEA) Municipal Assembly has charged five individuals GHc450 each for defecating along the beaches of Elmina.
According to the Assembly, several efforts to deter residents from engaging in open defecation has yielded no result hence the fine.
In an interview, Municipal Environmental Officer for Komenda Edina Eguafo Abbrem Assembly, Owusu Sekyere urged members of the community to use public latrines instead of defecating along the beaches.
“Some people go to the extent of packaging and throwing at someone’s doorstep, which is very bad. The citizens should just understand that this attitude should stop. Public latrines are there. Even if they do not have household latrines, they should take advantage of those ones.”
Open defecation, commonly known as “free range” is a major national environmental concern; more so in KEEA where most homes are without toilet facilities.
This situation is mostly attributed to the lack of purposeful funding.
It is against this background that the Ghana government in collaboration with the Netherlands through UNICEF under the Urban Sanitation Project initiated the Basic Sanitation Fund to improve sanitation in urban areas.
Meanwhile, A 75-year-old widow, Georgina Kyeremaalo, has constructed a toilet facility for a household of 15 from money she borrowed from a Village Savings and Loans Association (VSLA) introduced by UNICEF to empower women.
The cost of constructing is estimated at GHc100.00 and covered the payment of services, roofing sheets, moulding of bricks and digging of a septic tank.