Abandoned toilet poses health threat to pupils

More than 2,000 pupils of the Kwame Nkrumah Cluster of Schools in the Ayawaso Central District of Accra live in fear that a bubbling underground toilet facility which was abandoned years ago could explode.

The underground sewage tank of the old toilet facility has been full for years and efforts to have it emptied have been futile. The school has a new toilet facility which was built by an NGO but the remaining toilet facility has not been removed.

Some of the school authorities, who pleaded for anonymity from the Ghanaian Times, said all appeals to the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) to have the facility cleared have been ignored.

"We are appealing to the government to intervene with immediate effect to avert any disaster that could cause precious lives," they said.

Some of the students told the newspaper that the abandoned facility gives off a terrible smell and the drainage system of the schools are also inadequate.

The Chairman of the Ayawaso Central Sub-Metro of the AMA, Mr Victor Quarhsie Adonoo, denied any knowledge of the problem at the school.

He said the AMA only goes to the aid of schools when an issue is beyond their capability.

Mr Adonoo, however, said that the AMA does not toy with matters which have adverse effects on lives and promised to follow up on the issue.

However, the Ghanaian Times has discovered that as of last Friday no action had been taken.