Poor Sanitation in Ghana

Poor sanitation is described as the primary cause of diarrhea diseases like polio, intestinal worm infections, typhoid, cholera, and dysentery. The problem is noted to cause resistance to antimicrobial spread. Studies have pointed out that lack of or inadequate education is the leading cause of poor sanitation across the globe. This is true because even the most straightforward act of not washing hands among people can negatively affect the overall community health. Besides, the lack of proper refuse disposal and drainage systems also causes poor sanitation in towns and schools (Ablo and Yekple 585). The poor sanitation in Ghana has caused thousands of people to lose their families and loved ones. This has raised diseases like diarrhea, cholera, intestinal worm, and polio in most rural areas since most people living in these areas do not have access to clean water and healthy crops to feed off. The recorded statistic indicates that over 19,000 deaths were women and premature deaths and 5,100 children under the age of 5 years (Ablo and Yekple 590). Most people living in rural areas mainly depend on public restroom facilities, and there is little to no water access.

In addition, these people also lack access to hospitals when they are ill. Studies argue that about 4.8 million Ghanaians defecate in open areas because they do not have a latrine. Poor people are 22 times more likely to defecate outside or in open areas than wealthy people. The roles played by women/girls at home have made them fall at high risk in these communities because they get raped or kidnapped when they step outside to use the public restrooms or go and fetch water, they become scared and turn to go in groups most times, but it still does not solve the problem (Appiah-Effah et al. 393). Also, the other challenge is the littering of waste materials in the lanes, gutters, and streets, resulting in the flooding of areas. The aquatic ecosystem, plants, and human beings in this country have been affected by the accumulation of waste with toxic chemicals in water bodies. It is also noted that about 15 people in every 100 Ghanaians have access to facilities and services with good sanitation. However, the rest of the population is left defenseless against the inevitable consequences.

My plan moving forward is to bring a lot of Zoom lions to these rural areas to help clean out the gutters, so water can pass through them freely. Gutter cleaning is defined as the removal of debris which is built up in the gutters to enhance the free movement of water into the pipes. Apart from zoom lions, the gutters can also be cleaned by spraying them from the ground with the garden hose and telescopic gutter cleaning attachment (Mansour and Esseku 19). A pressure washer is also considered necessary in cleaning the gutters. The government needs to place trash bins in every corner so the littering around can be minimized because this is considered one of the most persistent and visible issues of the environment facing the government of Ghana. The problem of littering is causing the government to spend millions of Cedis yearly to clean up the city and repair the caused damages.

Trash bins will help minimize the amount of rubbish left on the ground not only in urban areas but even in schools and healthcare facilities. As a result, this will reduce the health and safety risks while improving the appearance of public places in Ghana. The government should make sure that landlords/homeowners have restroom facilities for their residents before renting out the place to stay (Appiah-Effah et al. 397). In addition, the government must see to it that clean water is being provided in every household through the tap lines for usage. This will prevent people from practicing open defections and also improve the environmental conditions. Further, the Ghana government should introduce and support small-scale sanitation and water projects which can improve the rural areas’ sanitation. Some of these projects can include the installation of hand washing stations in public places, the construction of toilets in the community for poor people, and the promotion of hygiene education to members of the public.

Implementing the plan above will play an essential role in reducing the number of death being caused by polio, dysentery, cholera, intestinal worm infections, and typhoid in Ghana. Poor sanitation is the main cause of these diseases, but improving sanitation will prevent the spread of such diseases in rural areas. The number of premature deaths will be reduced from 19,000 Ghanaians to less 1% and this will also include reduction in the death of children aged 5 years (Appiah-Effah et al. 398). The high death rates are attributed to poor water hygiene and environmental pollution. The construction of toilets in the community or public places will stop open defections and prevent the faucal matter from mixing with the soil.

The implementation of this plan will also help Ghana reduces the economic consequences suffered as a result of poor sanitation. The government will reduce the 420 million Cedis or US$290 million lost each year because of increased poor sanitation practices in the country. The government of Ghana will be able to invest these million dollars in other relevant projects such as food protection, improvement of education by purchasing resources for schools, and bettering healthcare systems (Mansour and Esseku 21). The people of Ghana will gain more knowledge and skills about their hygiene and be able to also translate the same to their offspring. Hygiene education will not only enable them to improve sanitation but also improve their way of living, like a change of social behaviors and becoming morally right people. Lastly, building public toilets will result in community development since these toilets will serve both the poor and the rich people. At the same time, it will create job opportunities since most youth people will be hired to clean these toilets and latrines.

My plan to reduce poor sanitation in Ghana was successful since I made it a community-centered plan. The strategy of cleaning the gutter using the zoom lion and pressure washer was successful since we managed to allow water to pass through the gutters freely after removing the debris. In addition, the litter that were being thrown around by people was also reduced after the trash bins were placed in every corner of the urban areas, in schools and hospitals (Abanyie 445). Trash bins, also called waste containers, helped in keeping the neighborhood clean by maintaining the garbage locked in and collected by the local authorities in-charge of sanitation. This resulted in neat and tidy urban areas and schools by preventing environmental hazards.

In addition, the plan managed to reduce open defection since landlords constructed latrines and toilets for their tenants, and the local government managed to build public toilets. This resulted in proper sanitation not only in residential areas but also both in rural and urban areas since people started disposing of their wastes appropriately (Mansour and Esseku 27). This prevented water pollution and environmental contamination, thus minimizing health-related risks like polio, cholera, and typhoid. Lastly, creating awareness through education and training about hygiene habits, such as proper hand washing with water and soap, also helped reduce cases of diarrhea among the Ghanaian population and the number of deaths.

Works Cited

Abanyie, Samuel Kojo, et al. “The roles of community-based water and sanitation management teams (WSMTs) for sustainable development: An example of the Bawku West District, Ghana.” African Journal of Environmental Science and Technology 13.11 (2019): 439-449.

Ablo, Austin Dziwornu, and Edwige Enam Yekple. “Urban water stress and poor sanitation in Ghana: perception and experiences of residents in the Ashaiman Municipality.” GeoJournal 83 (2018): 583-594.

Appiah-Effah, Eugene, et al. “Ghana’s post-MDGs sanitation situation: an overview.” Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development 9.3 (2019): 397-415.

Mansour, Goufrane, and Harold Esseku. “Situation analysis of the urban sanitation sector in Ghana.” Urban Sanitation Research Initiative Ghana: Accra, Ghana (2017).