Magistrate Court fines man for operating insanitary latrine

The Suhum Magistrate Court presided over by Mrs Cynthia Blagoggee has fined one Stephen Wortey the sum of GHC1,200 or in default serve three months imprisonment with hard labour for operating an insanitary latrine.

Wortey was charged with “dangerous insanitary pit latrine” in his premises and failed to comply with the notice served on him by Environmental Health Officers.

He pleaded guilty with an explanation, but his explanation was not accepted by the court and he was therefore fined.

According to Mr George Theophilus Agyalo, Senior Environmental Health Officer, who is the prosecutor, the accused person is a resident at Amede a farming community in the Suhum Municipality.

He noted that Environmental Health Inspectors led by Mr Joe Gyato and Mr Isaac Yeboah on their usual inspections visited the premises of the accused person and found an insanitary pit latrine on his premises.

He was given two days by the inspection team to abate and call inspectors for re-inspection. But he failed to comply with the directive.

He said the mess caused could be injurious to the health of the users and passer-by as well as children in the community because it could fall at any time.

He indicated that the latrine had become a death trap as well as contributed to the breeding of disease vectors that transmitted diarrhoea, cholera and other related diseases.

The accused person was, therefore, issued with a summons to appear before the court leading to his conviction.