According to statistics, 53.4 per cent of residents in the Western Region are not using decent toilet facilities.
This was revealed by Mr Oliver Cromwelll, Western Regional Director of the Environmental Health Department remarking that this percentage of residents use open drains, bushes, plastic rubber, school compounds, pit latrines and public latrines as a place of convenience.
He said the remaining 47.6 per cent of the population who have access to decent toilet facilities also contribute to open defecation as they unhygienically dispose of diapers in the open and some homes direct their septic tanks into public drains.
He said, “Open defecation is not only about people defecating in the open but others who have decent toilets but cannot properly dispose off baby diapers which sometimes finds it way in the street and houses with septic tank outlet in public drains and the poor construction of biogas.”
According to Mr Cromwell open defecation has a serious health risk and also perpetuates the cycle of poverty.
“When you go to hospitals and see the cases of typhoid, you will be shocked at the great negative impact of open defeaction as a lot of people are getting sick from it.”
He said they have taken up the challenge to educate people on the need to have a decent facility as the assemblies are also contributing to distributing toilet facilities to homes that are lacking them.
