Local authorities not doing much to fight poor sanitation – NGO

The Training Coordinator of the Wuni Zalgu Development Association (WUZDA), Mr. Abdul Ganiu, says assemblies in the Northern Region are not living up to their responsibility on sanitation.


He said even though assemblies have Environmental Health and Waste Management Departments, little is being done by those departments in dealing with issues of poor sanitation.
Mr. Ganiu was speaking to Shaibu Awudu on “Sanitation Monday”, a segment on Might FMs Morning show program, Might Morning Flight
According to Mr. Ganiu, assembly by–laws on sanitation must be enforced to ensure adherence by the people especially on the need for inclusion of household latrines from the foundation level when developing a residence to help cut down on open defecation in the region.
The Multi –Cluster Survey in 2012, indicated that the Northern Region is among the first five regions in Ghana noted for open defecation. The basic reason for this according to a research conducted by the Wuni Zaligu Development Association, has to do with the lack of household latrines in most homes.
Mr. Ganiu said the Town and Country Planning departments of assemblies must work together with the sanitation departments in enforcing the inclusion of latrines in homes from the planning level.
An Environment Health officer, Issah Halimah who was also on Might Morning Flight’s panel, asserted that it is the lack of political will which is making it hard for assemblies to enforce by–laws on sanitation.
She said “on a daily basis, I have areas that I supervise and the people know already because I have been going to them for the past two years but they still find me as their enemy”.
Halimah added that ”the people still do not know what my job is because they lack education on that and for those who do and ignore me, the assembly drags its feet on prosecution when I summon them due to perhaps their party political affiliations”.