Residents resort to open defecation after land owners locked up Bukunor community toilet for 12 years

Correspondence from Eastern Region

Residents of Bukunor Junction in the Yilo Krobo Municipality of the Eastern Region would have no option but continue to resort to the backward practice of open defecation if nothing is done to open for use, a six-seater community toilet that has been locked up for the past twelve years.

The locking up of the facility built-in 2009 upon its completion followed disagreements overpayment of an amount of Ghc3,500 to the landowners being the price of the land, by the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) who facilitated the construction of the facility as part of its corporate social responsibilities for the construction of the Bukunor Water Treatment Plant.

What is more worrying is that some of the residents preferred to engage in the practice close to the water treatment plant with its associated hygiene concerns.

Some members of the community also preferred to use the toilet facility of the Bukunor Junction M/A Basic School together with the pupils.

Explaining the circumstances that led to the locking up of the facility, the landowner, 80-year-old Reuben Okrah Kwasi told GhanaWeb that a former Municipal Chief Executive under the Kufuor administration in 2004 bought land for the community on which he put up a toilet facility for use by residents.

In 2007 however, the toilet, based on a mutual understanding reached between the GWCL and the community, was pulled down to pave way for the construction of the Bukunor Water Treatment Plant.

The GWCL was to relocate the facility to a new place to be provided by the community.

The toilet was subsequently put up by water construction company, Denys Engineers and Contractors on a plot of land provided by the two landowners but the GWCL reportedly failed to honour its part of the bargain.

Not pleased with this, the landowners, even before the community could begin using the facility, put it under lock and key, demanding that they be paid what is due them before the facility would be opened for use.

A visit by GhanaWeb to the facility on Tuesday, February 23, 2021 showed that it has dilapidated over the years and overgrown with weeds.

While most of its cream and green colour has scaled off, it was also observed that some of the doors were no longer in place with a lot of filth and cobwebs overrunning the entire place.

Some nearby residents have also turned what was supposed to be a place of convenience into a household with some chopped cassava (kokonte) being dried on the floor as well as where other items were being kept.

Water closets were however not installed as users would have to squat above openings in the floor to ease themselves.

Mr. Okrah Kwasi said he would not open the facility for use until he has received his Ghc3,500 in full. He said though the GWCL promised to pay for the land immediately upon completion of the project, they have reneged on their word for the past 12 years.

“They [GWCL] built a toilet on my plot and have not paid for the plot. I’ve also told them that the toilet plot belongs to me and not the government so if they fail to pay me, I’ll not open it. If they pay me, I’ll open it for the entire community to use,” he said.

According to him, he has fruitlessly demanded his money over the years as several promises to pay him were never fulfilled.

“When I ask them, they tell me, we’ll pay but this is never done. If the money doesn’t come, I can’t open it, if the money comes today, I’ll open it today for use,” he noted.

Some of the community members who spoke with GhanaWeb expressed frustration at the development.

Secretary to the Bukunor Junction community, 54-year-old Lucas Abayateye said “the absence of a toilet facility in the community is bringing a lot of problem to us. The water treatment plant is just here, there is a school here, there is a clinic here, people decide to ease themselves wherever they like so our health is being threatened.”

Gabriel Kwame George, assistant community secretary also expressed concern over the situation, especially regarding the health implications of the community.

He said “the community stinks, people ease themselves by the wayside, there is the waterworks and people ease themselves very close to the place.”

24-year-old Gloria Akorli who has lived all her life in the community is also unhappy with the situation.

“Since I grew up, I’ve never seen a community toilet here. When you walk by the roadside, [you’ll see that] people have defecated by the wayside, it’s not fine. When you go to the school, some people even defecate in the classrooms and it’s very bad.”

Meanwhile, Dadematse of the community, Dadematse Jacob Teye Kofi when contacted by GhanaWeb also expressed regret about the situation, particularly the imminent health crisis in the community.

He said though the outgoing Eastern Regional Minister, Eric Kwakye Darfuor intervened in the stand-off and instructed the MCE for the area, Ebenezer Tetteh Kupualor to pay the money to the landowners, this is yet to happen.

The MCE when contacted by GhanaWeb confirmed the problem but said payment would be made to the land owners “as soon as funds are available.”

Headmistress of the Bukunor Junction M/A Basic School, Gloria Tetteh also confirmed that some members of the community used the school’s place of convenience, a practice she condemned, particularly during the current coronavirus pandemic.