The Statesman
Globally, sanitation has long been a
troubling issue. It is estimated that almost half of the world's
population live without adequate sanitary provisions, and more children
die through hygiene-related illnesses than almost any other cause. Furthermore, around 1.1 billion people in the developing world lack access to clean water. In response to the slow progress being made toward the Millennium
Development Goal of halving the number of people worldwide living
without basic levels of sanitation by 2015, the UN General Assembly
declared 2008 as the "International Year of Sanitation”. Focus has been placed particularly on addressing the stigma attached
to sanitation issues, as well as raising awareness of the health and
economic benefits of better hygiene and sanitation. Within Ghana, sanitation is an equally worrying issue, and the
country was recently ranked in the three worst African nations for
sanitation, coming in the top two in the West African region.
According to Health Minister Major (rtd) Courage Quashigah, eight
deaths are caused every hour in Ghana through bad sanitation. Many of the causes of Ghana's low sanitation levels are clearly
visible on a daily basis: litter clogs open drains, food is sold and
prepared in close proximity to mounds of waste, and in open spaces,
piles of rubbish are dumped, to be later burnt, or simply left to rot.
According to the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, in Accra, 1500-1800
tonnes of waste are generated each day, with only 1200 tonnes on
average being collected. Surplus waste therefore builds up, blocking
drains and collecting in open areas. The direct correlation between bad sanitation and disease is well
known, and it is therefore not surprising that in 2007, diarrhoea was
responsible for 425,250 outpatient deaths in Ghana, making the illness
the fifth most common mortal ailment in the country. Following not far behind were fatal cases of intestinal worms,
taking 8th place. Upper respiratory track infections - 50% more likely
in areas of inadequate sanitation – came second only to malaria as the
cause of the most outpatient deaths. According to the Deputy Minister of Health Abraham Dwuma Odoom,
around 80% of ailments reported to health facilities are preventable,
being associated with inadequate sanitation. He described diseases of
sanitation as “diseases of choices” due to their needless nature. One of the key problems surrounding Ghana’s sanitation crisis
relates to the country’s lack of toilet facilities, with a recent
report by the UNICEF and the World Health Organisation revealing that
only 10% of Ghanaians have access to improved latrines. Findings from
a separate report revealed that around four million Ghanaians practice
open defecation – just under 20% of the population. The United Nations Human Development Report 2006, which focused on
issues of water, sanitation and poverty, exposed access to suitable
toilet facilities as “one of the strongest determinants of child
survival”. The improvement of latrines was identified as having the
potential to increase child survival by 30%, with flushing toilets
bringing a far larger reduction in child mortality than pit latrines. The benefits of proper toilet facilities not only affect
individuals, but also the community as a whole. “When a household
installs a latrine,” the UNHDR reported, “it not only protects them
from their own excreta, but also helps to protect their neighbours.” By way of illustration, the report cited a study carried out in
Salvador, Brazil, in which incidences of infant diarrhoea were twice as
high in households without latrines, and three times as high in
communities without sanitation infrastructures, such as drains and
sewers. As well as providing significant health benefits, better sanitation
has also been linked directly to economic growth. According to the
Coalition of non-governmental organisations in Water and Sanitation
(CONIWAS), every dollar invested in sanitation returns, on average,
nine dollars of economic benefits. This benefit comes mainly through the resultant reduction in medical
costs, which allow a greater investment of funds into other areas, such
as education, increasing the Gross Domestic Product. Furthermore, loss
of labour through sickness is reduced, boosting productivity in the
nation’s workforce. As explained in the UNHDR, “Sanitation improvements can broaden real
choices and substantive freedoms that people enjoy, acting as a
catalyst for a wide range of human development benefits. They can
protect people – especially children – from ill health. They can lift
people out of poverty, reducing the risks and vulnerabilities that
perpetuate cycles of deprivation. They can raise productivity, boost economic growth and create
employment. And they can build people’s pride in their homes and
communities.” In the wake of such findings, the question remains as to what is
being done about Ghana’s sanitation problem. The answer, it seems,
lies in a serious of national campaigns - several launched this year -
attempting to improve the health and prospects of Ghanaians through
sanitary improvements. In May, the Vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama announced the launch
of a national sanitation campaign, themed 'Repackaging Sanitation for
Accelerated National Development’. Organised by CONIWAS in
collaboration with WaterAid Ghana, the campaign aimed at raising
awareness of Ghana’s sanitation problems and encouraging the treatment
of sanitation issues as a national problem. July saw the launch of the Sixth National Food Safety Week,
targeting at highlighting sanitation issues linked with food
preparation and vending, launched by the Health Minister. Speaking at the launch, the Minister urged the public not to
underestimate the dangers of bad hygiene and the effect that
sanitation-related diseases can have on the economy. “All these
diseases cause misery, impede productivity, strain health systems and
consign millions of people into abject poverty”, he stressed. Earlier this month, a further national campaign on sanitation was
initiated by Zoomlion Ghana Limited, in collaboration with the Ministry
of Health, Local Government, Rural Development and Environment and
Manpower, Youth and Employment. Code-named, “Tin Ton Tan”, the
campaign called for the improvement of sanitation in Ghana through
public education and better hygiene standards in healthcare facilities. But are such campaigns enough to solve the problem? Speaking to The
Statesman, Executive Secretary of CONIWAS Patrick Apoya praised recent
sanitation projects, and described 2008 as year with “more media
coverage, public discussion and local government involvement in
sanitation issues than ever before.” Campaigns such as the recent Zoomlion initiative, he claimed, would
make “considerable improvements” in Ghana’s sanitation problems, with
local governments having a “big role to play” in alleviating the crisis. However, he called for a more unified approach to sanitation across
government institutions. “Government departments need to talk to each
other, pull together their policies and make sanitation a key point on
government agenda,” said Mr Apoya. He added that a more centralised approach needed to be taken, if
real changes are going to be seen: “Rather than dealing with
sanitation through a range of different government institutions, a
central effort must be seen.” Mr Apoya called for a “dramatic realisation” of the national crisis
that sanitation poses in Ghana, and a better government appreciation of
the powerful effect that improved sanitation could have on the health
and economy of the nation. He stressed that, until such a realisation comes about, progress
toward a healthier, cleaner, more affluent Ghana will be hindered.
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