16 Akatsi South Communities Embrace Sanitation Programme

By Alberto Mario Noretti

Akatsi — A TOTAL of 236 households in 16 communities in the Akatsi South District of the Volta Region are now Open Defection Free (ODF).

Each of the households has a decent toilet since they embraced the Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) in October 2016, with UNICEF as donor partners.

This was largely realised through communal labour in the communities.

"We are triggering 10 more communities to follow suit in this quarter of the year," said Mr Nat Dzadey, the District Coordinating Director (DCD).

He disclosed these when Mr Emmanuel Addae, UNICEF Communications Director and a team of journalists from Ho paid a courtesy call on him, prior to a tour of some ODF communities in the district last week.

Mr Dzadey explained that ODF efforts in the district were not totally donor-supported, saying the assembly provided logistics in the form of transport, supervision and monitoring as well as education campaigns towards their success.

"The project is demand-driven, so if we succeed in the 10 additional communities, we will continue to other communities as well", he added.

The DCD maintained that by the vigorous sanitation efforts of the assembly and the people of the area, the Akatsi South District was now leading the CLTS national and regional league tables.

Meanwhile, Mr Dzadey stated that the assembly was implementing its sanitation bylaws without comprise.

He said that four people were prosecuted this year for committing various sanitation offences in the district which had a total of 206 communities.

Responding, Mr Addae commended the assembly for committing great zeal and resources to the sanitation crusade.

He lauded the people of the ODF communities for their self-help spirit and said that "we need a new norm of using toilets at home".

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