Lack of sanitation pushes us to practice open defecation – Residents of the community of Salom-Madagber

The lack of toilets in the community of Salom-Madagber in Ada West District has prompted residents to engage in open defecation.

This is according to Mr. James Tsiani Gadugah, member of the Assembly of the electoral zone of Toflokpo Salom. Mr. Gadugah disclosed this to the Ghanaian News Agency during an interview with Ada.

He said the lack of toilets makes living conditions in the community unbearable and noted that the District Assembly has yet to respond to a call to provide basic amenities in the community, especially toilets.

Mr. Gadugah called for swift support from government, philanthropists and other stakeholders to help address the threat by providing them with modern toilets to improve sanitation in the region.

The people of Salom-Madagber, which is a farming community, have for years resorted to the call of nature in the bush and open places.

Some residents have also expressed concern about the practice, admitting that it has health implications. They explain that when it rains, the faeces are washed into the rivers on which they depend for drinking and cooking.

Residents described the lack of toilets in the community as a threat to their health, noting that it made life uncomfortable for them.

The GNA concluded that Salom-Madagber is one of many communities in Ada West District that have not been privileged to have a toilet.

Mr. Jado Tanihu, a resident, said: “Can you believe that in this 21st century, where technology has advanced, we still go to the bush to relax?

Mr Tanihu added that as an elderly person, he is very concerned about the lack of toilets as he sometimes inconvenienced himself by rushing to the nearest bush.

Some residents have observed that they are ashamed when visitors to the community ask to use the toilet and have to be directed into the bush.

According to them, besides the lack of sanitation, drinking water is also a big problem for them. Residents therefore appealed to the government and the District Assembly to provide them with the necessary facilities to prevent a cholera outbreak in the region.

“What is painful is that we are the very ones who pollute the water, not the others. And that’s because we lack toilets in the community, ”said the aggrieved residents.