The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem (KEEA), Ismael Zagoon-Saeed, has told Parliament that some residents who engage in open defecation along the municipality’s sea defence justify the practice as “free range.”
He said the situation had become a major sanitation challenge for the municipality, with residents continuing to defecate along the sea defence, even after the area had been cleaned.
Mr Zagoon-Saeed made the disclosure when the KEEA Municipal Assembly appeared before the Local Government and Rural Development Committee of Parliament, chaired by Queenstar Maame Pokuah Sawyerr.
The committee had questioned the MCE about the municipality’s sanitation problems and what measures were being taken to address persistent open defecation.
“For sanitation, KEEA, Honourable Chair, I must be frank, we are doing our best”, Mr Zagoon-Saeed told the committee.
He said the municipality had four traditional areas, with Elmina being particularly affected by sanitation challenges.
“You go and clean there today, tomorrow, another problem. To the extent that even the sea defence that is protecting us, people just go on that sea defence and be defecating,” he said.
They will tell you ‘free range’
Mr Zagoon-Saeed said the assembly had provided toilet facilities in affected areas but some residents still preferred open defecation.
“Even though we have toilet facilities around, when you meet these people, ask them why they don’t use the toilet, they will tell you ‘free range’. I’m telling you, Honourable, ‘free range’,” he said.
The remark prompted Queenstar Maame Pokuah Sawyerr to seek clarification on what the residents meant by “free range” and why they would continue to defecate in the open, when toilet facilities were available.
The MCE maintained that there were toilet facilities around some of the affected areas, including near the fishing communities.
He, however, acknowledged that the facilities might not be sufficient and said the assembly was also encouraging owners of new houses to provide toilet facilities.
“With those who are building new houses, we are trying to engage them to make sure that they put toilet facilities in their various houses,” he said.
Task force to target offenders
Mr Zagoon-Saeed said the assembly had established a task force to monitor the affected areas and arrest people who engaged in open defecation. “We have now put in place some task force to make sure that we get those people prosecuted,” he said.
He explained that the task force would be deployed to vantage points along the sea defence where open defecation was prevalent.
The assembly, he added, would also work with traditional authorities to ensure that people arrested for the practice were taken to court.
The committee, however, questioned whether simply providing toilet facilities in homes would address the problem, given that residents were reportedly attracted to defecating by the sea because of what the MCE described as “free range.”
The chairperson, Queenstar Maame Pokuah Sawyerr, suggested that the assembly could consider providing properly constructed toilet facilities at strategic points around the beaches and fencing areas where open defecation was particularly common.
Mr Zagoon-Saeed said fencing could be considered, although he indicated that the affected stretch of the sea defence extended from Elmina towards Komenda, making it difficult to fence the entire area.
Committee demands action
The committee expressed concern about the health implications of persistent open defecation and urged the assembly to take the issue more seriously.
Queenstar Maame Pokuah Sawyerr said the practice could contribute to the spread of diseases such as cholera and called for stronger public education.
She urged the assembly to involve traditional authorities in efforts to change public attitudes towards open defecation.
She further suggested that KEEA could serve as a case study for developing a more comprehensive programme to tackle open defecation. The MCE also disclosed that the assembly had generated GH¢1.646 million in internally generated funds (IGF) during the year.
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