By Asumang Gideon (UniMAC-IJ, Email:
poddarasumang129@gmail.com)
A member of the Nima community, Zakaria Mohammad said poor sanitation reduces human well-being, and societal development because of its impact on 6th July 2024. The provision of sanitation facilities and services for the safe disposal of human waste is inadequate and it is obvious that few Ghanaian communities have access to better sanitation facilities and services while the majority of communities are left out. Imagine you live in a community where sanitation facilities and services are poor, how would you feel living in such an environment? I will not feel safe living in such an environment because of its associated diseases such as malaria, diarrhoea, cholera, fever, and more. What about you?
During the encounter, the members highlighted poor sanitation as the main problem that the community is trying to deal with alongside crimes in the community.
In 2015, the UN introduced seventeen (17) goals known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) or Agenda 2030. The UN Global Goal aims to end poverty, protect the environment, and ensure accomplishment for everyone by 2030. Many countries embraced the goals to improve the planet and the lives of its citizens by 2030. They committed themselves to the life-changing goals outlined by the UN. Countries work hand in hand and together to ensure that no one is left behind. But I believe the Nima community is left behind because they live in an unconducive environment, where you would see choked gutters, improper dumping of waste, and inappropriate waste management.
The 6th Goal is sanitation, which seeks to promote good sanitation and hygiene to eliminate tropical diseases in the world. Poor sanitation in Nima is very devastating but if each individual makes one positive change it will make an impact. In an interview, one said, “Our people are the problem of the problem at hand because of improper disposal of waste, they gather waste along the road, in their homes, shops et cetera, and wait for winds or rain to wash them away, defecate in open space and gutters are choked with polythene bags with human excreta”. There are a lot of malaria and cholera outbreaks, especially among children causing some to lose their lives, he added. World Health Organization shows that one million people are estimated to die as a result of poor sanitation and an unhygienic environment. Will the government’s aim to eliminate tropical diseases and improve the lives of its citizens in Nima be achieved? Many communities in the country are not getting good hygiene and sanitation and waste kept for longer periods breeds maggots, houseflies, mosquitoes and resulting in diseases such as diarrhea, malaria, and cholera, which makes the problem alarming. I was shocked when I saw porridge sellers, selling in an unclean environment.
The government is trying to help the community deal with waste management, but its effort is not encouraging, and the bad habits developed by the residents are worsening. The government is helping the community through the services of Zoom Lion Ghana, but their effort is not appreciated by the community. “Zoom Lion Ghana will never come on time to empty the container when it is full, this makes residents dump around the container, also we have been calling on the local authorities to provide more containers for the community but they’ve turned deaf ears to our cry,” one member said. The local authorities and government can provide dustbins to the community to place them in vantage joints in the community, he added. You would not believe it if I told you that, I didn’t see even one dustbin in the community for pedestrians to put their trash in, which is very bad. I believe the government can do better by providing better sanitation facilities and services to the Nima community and other communities lagging and through this the 6th goal can be attainable.
One positive change in our community will make an impact on our daily lives. You would agree with me that animal livestock farming is practiced in grassland. While some people are doing their animal livestock farms elsewhere, some individuals in Nima are doing theirs on the doorsteps of others. It is unhygienic for residents to live close to cow farms because of its associated health implications such as flu, cold, shortness, or difficulty in breathing, and sore throat and it can also lower respiratory function. A clean environment, I believe will keep us especially children healthy and safe from diseases such as cholera outbreaks, malaria, fever, and other communicable diseases. You should not leave the work to the government or sanitation agencies to ensure your environment is clean, but you must play a part in ensuring the environment is clean. Ghana and the people of Nima are lagging in attaining better sanitation. The authorities must also educate the members to practice good hygiene and sanitation because improper education on sanitation may be the cause of the problem.
“An individual cannot ask the owner to move the cows from here but only government or local authorities,” Ali said. The whole environment smelled bad because of the cow manure, and I could not hold my breath because of how unpleasant it was. Indiscipline in the community makes members do what he/she likes, and despite the rules, they act contrarily.
Benefits of good sanitation
Speaking to Ali Iddrisu he said that good sanitation can reduce the possibility of diseases and spreading of diseases in the community. “The risks of disease and illnesses commonly spread in this community can be reduced through the practices of good sanitation and hygiene,” he said. I also believe good sanitation in Nima can change the perspectives of others about their environment. Just as what I heard about Nima when I hear the word dirty or poor sanitation, Nima and some other towns come to mind.
Measures
The government should reinforce the by-laws by the Environmental Health and Sanitation Department which says that landlords should build toilet facilities for their tenants to use and punish them if they disobey because they build more rooms than toilets also the Municipal District authorities are to ensure sanitation problems here are improved by providing better sanitation services such as dustbins in our localities, sounded sewage system, proper waste disposal method. For the community to be able to manage their waste and keep their environment clean from dirty, it would be better if each house had one or two dustbins for weekly collection by Zoom Lion Ghana. Again, media awareness about poor sanitation would help.
