The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has launched a pilot project to build 200 toilet facilities within 100 days in some selected households in the metropolis.
Dubbed, “A Toilet at Half Price”, the project forms part of the implementation of the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA) - Sanitation and Water Project (SWP) Rapid Response Initiative (RRI). The GAMA-SWP is targeted at improving sanitation, water supply and to strengthen the management of environmental sanitation with emphasis on low-income urban areas within GAMA.
Beneficiary communities are Chorkor, Sabon Zongo, Glefe, Mampose and Gbegbeyise.
The five-year long project, which became effective in August 2014, is being implemented by the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (MLGRD) through its Project Coordinating Council, and the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing through the Ghana Water Company Limited. It is funded by the World Bank.
Speaking at the launch and sensitisation programme on Thursday, the AMA Drains Maintenance Unit Director and Coordinator of the project, Mr Graham Sarbah, said the project would make affordable toilet facilities to the selected households and also strengthen the management of environmental sanitation in the GAMA.
Under the project, toilet facilities suitable for the various households in the selected communities would be constructed for interested households at half the price.
“This means that the owners of these houses would pay half the price of the facilities constructed and the assembly would bear the remaining cost”, he said.
Mr Sarbah said a special loan would be made available to households that are desirous of having the facility but cannot immediately afford the cost.
He, therefore urged landlords in the selected communities to come on board and make the implementation of the project a success.
Talking about the different modules of toilet facilities available and their prices, a Community Development Specialist from Professional Orientation and Planning Services Limited (PROP), Mr Christian Dorgbazi, said there were eight types.
He named them as water closet with septic tank, water closet with bio-fil digester, pour-flush with septic tank, pour flush with bio-fil digester, ventilated improved pit (kvip) with bio-fil digester, ventilated improved pit (vip) latrine with bio-fil digester, bio-fil stand-alone toilet (microflush), and communal toilet.
For instance, he explained that the water closet with septic tank was a water-based toilet system in which faecal matter was conveyed into an independent bio-fil digester and uses used minimal amount of water compared to the water closet toilet.
He said the facility could be constructed in areas where the soil was drained as it was not ideal for waterlogged, rocky, high water table areas adding that it was also not applicable in crowded areas.
Mr Dorgbazi advised interested landlords in the beneficiary communities to first consult the assembly for advise, before opting for any of the modules.
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