The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly in collaboration with Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP) is embarking on a house hold toilet project. The aim of the project is to facilitate construction of household toilets in every compound in Kumasi without a toilet.
The Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE) of Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) Hon. Osei Assibey Antwi speaking at a durbar held by the Assembly on Wednesday, 25th October, 2017 reiterated the Assembly’s commitment to making the city a healthy environment by making sure every resident abide by the environmental and sanitation bye laws of the Assembly.
He said the only way of abiding by the laws is to keep the environment clean by not littering around and restore Kumasi to its pride as the Garden City of West Africa.
Kumasi Mayor said this at a durbar at Ayigya Zongo organized by the Environmental Health Department of the Assembly, with the support from the Water and Sanitation for Urban Poor (WSUP), an NGO, and some financial institutions assisting houses without toilets in the metropolis to build one.
The Ayigya Zongo and Moshie Zongo communities were selected to be the beneficiaries of 500 households’ toilets under the project.
The durbar was attended by heads of Ayigya Zongo community, residents and traders.
The Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) recently launched “Operation keep the City Clean and Green” campaign, a new strategy to drive environmental cleanliness and restore Kumasi to its pride as the Garden City of West Africa.
The exercise involves the planting of trees and the education of the public against indiscriminate disposal of waste.
The Metropolitan Chief Executive stated that toilet facilities contribute immensely to the good health of an individual and there is the need for every household to get a toilet facility.
He reminded the people of the existing sanitation bye laws that mandate every household to have a toilet, and appealed to them not to fall for the punishment that goes with it.
“Some landlords have converted designated toilet facility into living rooms, am warning that the Assembly will soon prosecute landlords who do not have toilet facility in their houses,” he stated.
He then urged them to take advantage of the flexible loan facilities granted by assigned financial institutions, have toilets in their homes and avoid been prosecuted.
The MCE also used the opportunity to appeal the religious heads to educate their people to honor their tax obligations for the developmental of the city.
“You have a lot people under your care, please tell them to pay taxes so that the assembly can generate more money to develop the city,” he appealed to the Zongo heads.
He said funds from the central government are not enough develop the city, hence the need to mobilize funds internally.
“The government alone cannot provide all the needs of the assembly, we the assembly have to find a way of getting some money to supplement the government’s money, and this can be done by paying our taxes,” he added.
Hon Assibey Antwi stated that another way of getting funds is to stop littering around so that the money that will be used to collect the waste generated through the in discriminatory disposal will be channeled to other area for development.
The Deputy Head of the Environmental Health Department, Eric Gyasi, took the participants through the process of acquiring a toilet facility in their homes, after educating them on the hazards that associate with open defecating
However, arrangements have been made for some financial institutions to aid in providing loan facilities for the construction of these toilets for those who do not have the financial capability . This includes HFC Bank, Sinapi Aba, Price Capital and Pathway.