Completed toilet facility at Naa-Yiri closed as residents indulge in open defecation

Four years after building a modern toilet facility for the Naa-Yiri community in the Jirapa Municipality of the Upper West Region by the Assembly, the facility is yet to be opened to the public for use.

This has compelled residents to use the bushes to ease themselves which is a threat to the fight against open defecation in the Municipality as well as sanitation-related ailments.

Speaking to GhanaWeb Monday, September 27, 2021, the residents lamented the failure by the Municipal Assembly to open the toilet facility to the people to curb open defecation as a way of preventing the possible spread of diseases associated with bad sanitary practices.

Some women who spoke to us bemoaned the danger they regularly go through in order to attend to nature's call in the bushes as they sometimes encounter dangerous reptiles.

Expressing dismay at how they usually have to compete with men in the bushes to ease themselves which they said does not augur well for them as women, they emphasised that all calls to get the toilet opened for use have fallen on deaf ears.

Speaking to GhanaWeb, the Assemblymember Hon. Peter Ta-ang of the Jirapa Naa-Yiri electoral area, explained even though the toilet appeared to be completed and ready for use, much still needed to be done for it to be operational.

He furthered that as a toilet facility that comes with the water closet system, it needs water to enable its function which he said was yet to be fixed by the contractor.

He rubbished claims by some residents to the effect that the inability of the Assembly to get the facility operational was due to its failure to find a manager for the facility.

"It's not true if there is no water to pump (the water closet), how will it be used?" he quizzed.

On the lack of power to the toilet, Hon. Peter explained the area council had earlier moved to connect electricity to the facility but could not achieve that due to financial constraints.

He disclosed that the Jirapa Municipal Assembly has nonetheless pledged to ensure the place which is already wired is connected to the national grid.