E.P. Church marks World Toilet Day with call for climate-resilient sanitation

The Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana, has joined the global community in marking World Toilet Day 2025, using the occasion to champion stronger, climate-resilient sanitation systems across the country.

Speaking at the event, Rev. Richard Mawutor Buamah, District Pastor of the E.P. Church in Klefe and President of IRMAD Development and Social Network, underscored the importance of safe and accessible toilets as a basic human right and a foundation for protecting public health and human dignity.

He noted that although progress has been made worldwide, more than 3.4 billion people still lack safely managed sanitation, exposing millions to preventable diseases. In Ghana, he said the effects of climate change are worsening sanitation challenges as floods damage toilets, water shortages hinder hygiene, and poor waste management fuels recurring outbreaks.

This year’s theme, “Sanitation in a Changing World: Our Collective Responsibility,” highlights how extreme weather conditions are placing added pressure on fragile sanitation infrastructure. Rev. Buamah cautioned that storms, floods, droughts, and rising temperatures are overwhelming systems that were never designed to withstand such impacts.

He stressed that poor sanitation undermines not only health but also economic growth, explaining that investments in climate-resilient sanitation ultimately save money and improve quality of life.

Rev. Buamah also reminded the congregation of the biblical mandate to care for the environment, urging churches, families, community leaders, and government institutions to collaborate to eliminate open defecation, promote handwashing, and protect water bodies from pollution.

“Sanitation is life, dignity, justice, economic growth, and climate resilience,” he said, calling on Ghanaians to take practical action in their homes and communities.