Open Defecation still poses a formidable social burden — Child Sanitation Diplomat

Miss. Adjoa Gyakoa Appiah-Kubi, the Coalition of NGOs in Water and Sanitation's (CONIWAS) Child Sanitation Diplomat, has expressed concern that Open Defecation (OD) still poses a formidable social burden.

She advised people involved in Open Defecation (OD) to abstain from this terrible and unhygienic practice in order to move the country closer to accomplishing Sustainable Development Goal Six (SDGs 6.1 and 6.2).

The United Nations Global 6.1 and 6.2 urge countries to stop open defecation, provide everyone with adequate and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water, and end open defecation by 2030, with special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations.

Miss Appiah-Kubi stated in a solidarity message at the 34th Mole Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) conference (MOLEXXXIV), which is currently ongoing in Jirapa, Upper West Region.

About 170 people, including policymakers, government officials, CSO, Members of Parliament (MPs), and Municipal and District Assemblies (MDAs), are attending the four-day MOLE XXXIV conference, which has as its theme "Building inclusive and resilient Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) systems to reach the unserved".

The World Vision Ghana and the GAMA Sanitation and Water Project are sponsoring the Media Coalition Against Open Defecation (M-CODe) to attend the conference.

Miss Appiah-Kubi said that OD was not only wrong and unhygienic but also a disgraceful practice that shouldn't be accepted in society, pointing out that kids often took inspiration from adults and so mimicked their habits, whether good or evil, mindlessly.

She urged the government to provide sanitary supplies to public institutions and stated that it was crucial for MDAs to guarantee that access to restrooms was not an issue, especially at the community level.

In order to encourage children to actively engage in the national fight against OD, national sanitation campaigner Miss. Appiah-Kubi also made an appeal to CONIWAS and its partners to establish permanent forums for kids to debate WASH-related issues at its conferences and events.

Dr. Freda Prempeh, Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources explained that Ghana has made impressive strides in providing safe drinking water, but over 3.8 million people still lack access to it.

Dr. Prempeh emphasized that the nation was on track to meet Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6) and that the government should address water quality issues seriously in order to maximize the benefits from the usage of water.

According to the Sanitation Minister, the "greatest enemy" to the nation's safe water distribution system is still unlawful mining. The 2018 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey found that eight out of ten residential water sources and five out of ten point sources were polluted with E. coli.

"As WASH stakeholders, we need to make our voices heard in the ongoing discussions aimed at stopping galamsey. It is costing our urban water utility company so much to treat water for human consumption", she stated.

Dr. Hafiz Bin Salih, the Upper West Regional Minister has indicated that despite the 76 percent water coverage in the region, access to sustainable drinking water was still a huge challenge in the region.

Dr Bin Salih stated in his welcome address at the 34th Mole Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) conference (MOLEXXXIV), which is currently ongoing in Jirapa, Upper West Region.

The Upper West Minister commended the organizers and their partners for their continuous support in helping to meet the water demand needs of the region and commended the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) as well.

Ms. Beata Awinpoka Akanyani, the Chairman of CONIWAS expressed appreciation to development partners, both local and international, for their continuous support.

Among other objectives, the conference would also discuss how the implementation of resilient WASH systems will address access and equity, and how current service delivery models will impact Ghana's pace towards achieving WASH for all.

-CDA Consult || Contributor