Ga South schools, residents get toilet facilities

The Greater Accra Metropolitan Area under the auspices of the Ministry of Sanitation, Works and Housing has, as part of activities to rid the city of filth, completed the construction of toilet facilities for some selected areas in the capital.

This is in line with government's plans to make Accra the cleanest city in the sub region.

The team embarked on a tour, Thursday, to show journalists and other stakeholders the finished projects in the Ga South District.

The facilities which consist of a bio-digesta and seater(s) were provided by the GAMA project with support from the World Bank as part of efforts to eliminate the menace of open defecation in the country.

The tour began with a visit to the Ngleshie Amanfro SHS in the Ga South district where students expressed their joy and excitement about the development as they await the commissioning of the new toilet facility in the school.

Headmistress of the school, Lydia Anim Nketia, who lauded the initiative indicated that the facility will to a large extent deal with the situation where a population of 2,860 students had to make do with a four-unit toilet facility.

"Initially, this was what we were using. The four-seater toilet which was not enough. This new project from GAMA in a nutshell i will say it’s a blessing to the school" she said.

Overwhelmed by the construction of the new facility, some students of the Ngleshie Amanfro SHS who spoke to www.ghanaweb.com revealed that the old toilet facility to a large extent affected them as teachers had to halt classes when the stench became unbearable. They therefore welcomed the news with great pleasure.

The GAMA project provided for the school a twelve seater toilet facility which comes with a mechanized borehole, a solar power pump, water tank, a disabled cubicle for the physically challenged for both male and female including a changing room as well as flowing taps. This is to enable the school ease of access as well as reduce open defecation in the constituency.

Project coordinator for the GAMA project, Ing. George Asiedu who took the entourage around also assured the institution that water will be available for the school to help in the maintenance of the facility.

‘’Water is going to be available 24/7 for this facility … all that you’ll need for an improved facility or institution has been made available here and one of the major issue is water supply which the project is making sure that water becomes available within the institutions." said Mr. Asiedu.

He indicated that beneficiaries of the project will be educated on how to operate and maintain the facilities for a long period of time. Also that steps are being taken to ensure a stability plan is in place.

According to Mr Asiedu about 240 households have been provided with the toilet facility so far and more residents will soon have access to good toilet facilities as well.

He encouraged the public to desist from open defecation and work towards acquiring personal toilets in their homes as they are very affordable.