Presiding Members should champion fight against open defecation

The Presiding Members’ Association, Greater Accra, on Tuesday opened its three day 2019 annual conference with a call on presiding members of district assemblies to champion the fight against open defecation in their localities.

The theme for the conference is, “The role of Local Assembly in the distribution of one million bins, the means to stop open defecation and the strategic role of Presiding Members”.

Mr Ishmael Ashitey, Greater Accra Regional Minister, opening the conference, said Presiding Members must take up their role as stakeholders in the fight against open defecation and other insanitary conditions by ensuring strict enforcement of the sanitation local bye-laws.

Mr Ashitey regretted that the commitment and tenacity to enforce the laws were lacking adding that some assembly members even interfere when local government officials try to crack the whip on sanitation offenders.

He said the need to intensify the fight against bad sanitation practices was long overdue adding, it was a shame and a dent on Ghana’s reputation for the country to be ranked second after Sudan among countries that practice open defecation.

The Minister added that a joint report from the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF revealed that 82 per cent of the one billion people that practice open defecation in the world were in 10 countries of which Ghana was part.

Mr Ashitey indicated that the stench that emanate from faecal matter in gutters, beaches, the bush and tree shrubs must be a concern for every stakeholder to support government’s policies on good environmental and sanitation practices.

Mr David Narh Amuyao, Chairman, Presiding Members Association, Greater Accra Region, in a welcoming address, said open defecation and other unhygienic practices were not a sign of modern civilization which Ghana claim to be.

Mr Amuyao expressed joy at the government’s operation clean inner cities and zongos as it would encourage the habit of collective and periodic cleaning in the various communities.

Mr Joseph Korto, Secretary of the Association, on his part advised presiding members to collaborate and work with officials of the Food and Drug Authority (FDA) to ensure that food sellers and operators of eateries, restaurants and hotels’ kitchens complied with the Public Health Act, Act 581 of 2012.

Mr Korto explained that sections 51 and 52 of the Act indicated how offensive it was to sell food to the public from and in a filthy environment adding that the act also empowered the FDA to shut down any facility that failed to comply with the regulations.