NGO Calls For reintroduction Of Sanitary Inspectors
NGO Universal Rehabilitation Centre at Kenyasi in the Asutifi North District of the Ahafo Region has called for the reintroduction of Sanitary Inspectors to ensure sanitation discipline
Joseph Marfo 
A Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) named Universal Rehabilitation Centre at Kenyasi in the Asutifi North District of the Ahafo Region has called for the reintroduction of Sanitary Inspectors or Town Council Officers to ensure sanitation discipline in various communities.
Ambassador of sanitation to the organization, Mr. Kwabena Oduro Banor bemoaned the rise in poor hygiene-related diseases.
According to research, approximately 88% of deaths due to diarrhea illness worldwide are attributable to unsafe water, inadequate sanitation, and poor hygiene.
Diarrhoea diseases such as cholera kill more children than AIDS, malaria, and measles combined, making it the second leading cause of death among children under five.
He is however calling on the government, sanitation ministry, and well-meaning Ghanaians to support his outfit with resources to enable them to fight the filth which has engulfed the country.
Ghana’s improved sanitation coverage has not exceeded 15% for a long time.
This means that only 15 in every 100 Ghanaians have access to sanitation facilities and services, while the rest are left defenseless against the inevitable consequences. Many schools lack access to improved sanitation and hygiene facilities.
Children are left with no option but to openly defecate in nearby bushes and hideouts, and this has negative consequences for child health, quality education, and general well-being.
Poor sanitation and hygiene practices are also linked to malnutrition and diseases such as Diarrhoea and cholera.
Diarrhea disease is the second leading cause of death in children under 5 (WHO 2017) Poor sanitation and hygiene practices reduce productivity and increase healthcare costs, trapping communities in poverty.
To a large extent, the challenges to sanitation in Ghana and many other developing nations are linked to the inability to create proper disposal points for solid waste, lack of enforcement of sanitation laws, population growth, poor financing of sanitation policies, rural-urban migration, poor sanitation infrastructure, lack of sanitation technologies among others.
Addressing these related factors requires a systems approach, and it needs to be done in a concerted manner.
Nana Ama Asiedu, Bono Region
