Boreholes in Ho Municipality, biologically infected – Expert

An environmental expert said some boreholes and pipe schemes in the Ho Municipality were biologically infected and  likely to cause outbreak of cholera, diarrhea and typhoid.

Mr Hubert Kofi Doh, a Senior Environmental Health Officer in the Municipality, noted that some boreholes in the Municipality were rusted and needed to be replaced.

He was speaking at a sanitation day celebration on the theme: “Sanitation Management, a key Pillar in a Nation’s Development, “in Ho,

Mr Doh noted that the boreholes were rusted and needed to be replaced and attributed the presence of pathogens in the pipes and boreholes to poor management and human activities.

He said the health alert came to light following water quality test conducted by four students from the University of Applied Science in Lahti, Finland, in the Municipality between May and August this year.

Mr Doh said the experiment was carried out under the North-South Local Government co-operation programme between the city of Lahti in, Ho Municipal Assembly in Ghana and Bojanala Platinum District Municipality in South Africa.

He said the Environmental Health Office had sent reports to the Municipal Assembly and other authorities to resolve the situation before disaster struck.

Mr Doh said the Municipal area was benefiting from the relationship, and that it already has two dry toilets for two basic schools and 20 litter bins for the Ho Township apart from other technical supports.

Ms Ann Aalto, the North-South Project Coordinator, from Finland, said access to clean water and good sanitation was the first step to alleviating poverty.

She noted that about half the patients admitted to hospitals were there due to poor insanitary conditions.

Mr Isaac Kodobissah, Ho Municipal Chief Executive, in a speech read on his behalf, said the fight against insanitatary practices was facing setbacks due to the people’s attitudes.

“Irrespective of several government interventions, some people do not want to change their attitudes, frustrating all efforts to make the environment clean,” he said.

Mrs Beatrice Assor, Headmistress of Ho Polytechnic Basic Schools, which is a beneficiary of one of the dry toilets, said the facility had improved sanitation and make school children to stay in school.

“Now, children cannot ask permission to go to toilet in the house and refuse to come back to school and they can also not defecate anywhere,” she said.

Source: GNA

1 Comment
  1. Paul Sewor says

    The boreholes are not the items rusting as stated but the suction pipe which some were made with galvanized material. When in contact with some water parameters like manganese etc. facilitate the rusting of the pipes.
    So, the submission may confuse those who are not in the water sector.
    Thank you

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