UNICEF urges more attention on environmental sanitation

A representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Mr David Duncan, is urging more attention to be focused on tackling the growing environmental sanitation challenges in communities.

The situation where people indiscriminately littered and defecated in open places could not be allowed to continue.

This would have to end to prevent diseases and there should be no excuses,  Mr Duncan said this at day-two of a three-day national stakeholders meeting to discuss the community-led total sanitation (CLTS) project at Fumesua in the Ejisu-Juaben Municipality in the Ashanti Region.

CLTS is meant to assist whip up the enthusiasm of people in the rural communities to build their own toilets, using local materials.

It is being spearheaded by the Environmental Health Directorate of the Local Government and Rural Development with UNICEF, Plan Ghana, Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) as key implementation partners.

It started in 2006, this pilot phase is expected to end in 2014 and its continuation would be determined by the results achieved.

The workshop was held on the theme “Coordinating for Sustainable Upscale”,  brought together focal persons and their teams from the Volta, Eastern, Northern, Upper West and East regions.

Mr Duncan said those engaged in the project should look for solutions – what to do to make things happen.

The participants in their reports had complained about problems with the lack of funds and logistics, absence of incentive packages and the indifference of the district assemblies.

They said strong commitment by the government and its Ministries would be needed to promote effective implementation of the project.

Source: GNA