Accra, Nov 19, GNA - In a bid to get closer to the Millennium Development Goal of halving the 2.5 billion people without sanitation access, innovative solutions such as the invention of the mobile toilet system have improper waste management in Africa especially Ghana.
Advancement in portable technology has allowed the early adoption of portable mobile technologies; by providing a unique opportunity for the region to bridge the gap between the lack of proper waste management and the hassle of travelling a long distance to relieve one’s self.
According to Elizabeth Owusu Kissi, Group Corporate Affairs Manager of Mohanani, in a statement to mark World Toilet Day said the challenge of sanitation intervention had always been to keep up with the growing population, that had resulted in overcrowding and exacerbating sanitation issues.
As a result, she said people had no choice but to use bushes, beaches, gutters and uncompleted buildings as places of conveniences was un-dignifying and also increased the risk of spreading deadly diseases.
She said inadequate decent toilet facilities, especially in cities continued to be a major health threat that affected majority of Ghanaians, despite general improvements in urban sanitation programmes.
Ms Kissi said in the last twenty years, sanitation coverage made great strides, but was less accessible to the urban poor; the more reason, the nation of Ghana needs to adopt ‘Every Community, a Portable Toilet’ strategy.
She said having portable toilets at vantage points on the stretches of urban roads would reduce the pressure of having people use filling stations, hotels and people’s homes as emergency restrooms for easing themselves.
“With portable mobile toilets, our gutters and dumping sites will be free from human excreta. It will come in handy for communities to have portable toilets to reduce and eradicate open defecation. ‘Every community, a portable toilet’ initiative will provide consumers a unique, safe and healthy maintainable facility which is affordable and effective in the long-term.
She said With the emergence of portable toilet systems, the pressure that mounted on public toilets would reduce and the limited capacity of public toilets, which resulted in people either urinating outside or defecating into containers popularly referred to as ‘wrap and throw’ will cease.
“The issue of “Do not urinate here” written on people’s walls will also stop; as people will be compelled to use the mobile toilet than openly spraying urine on people’s walls.”
The Group Corporate Affairs Manager said the placement of portable mobile toilets on vantage points on highways would serve as a source of income and employment for individuals or agents who would want to manage it and ensure its maintenance and further further minimize people defecating on the highway.
“Portable sanitation like Mobile toilet will go a long way in decreasing the likelihood of adverse health epidemic in the nation.
She said PolyTank had introduced a new mobile toilet system that seeks to change the lives of Ghanaians by improving access to decent and adequate toilet facilities in peri-urban communities.
“The complete portable toilet system is made up of a moveable kiosk fitted with a toilet bowl, which has a flushing mechanism, a hand washing sink and a bio-digester for waste disposal and management.
“The attached bio-digester helps to chemically treat the urine and faeces through an inbuilt system, making the disposed sewage environmentally safe. The toilet is also made with high quality ultraviolet raw material that repels insects such as termites, carpenter ants, wood borers which are found in wooden structures.
“The new mobile toilet is lighter and provides the consumer privacy in a well-ventilated space and an adequate hand washing basin to prevent the spread of bacteria and cross-contamination. “
GNA
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