Government
urged to formulate comprehensive sanitation policy
Sunyani (B/A), Jan. 29, Ghanadot/GNA – Dr. Yasmin Ali
Haque, representative of the United Nation’s Children
Fund (UNICEF) in Ghana, on Thursday urged government to
formulate a comprehensive national sanitation policy.
She said this would ensure effective sanitation delivery
for the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals
on sanitation.
Dr. Haque made the call in Sunyani at the opening of the
2008 annual review and planning meeting of environmental
health sanitation directorate of the Ministry of Local
Government, Rural Development in Sunyani.
The two-day event was attended by regional environmental
health officers, representatives of the Netherlands
Embassy in Ghana, Water Aid Ghana, Ministry of Health
and Coalition of non-governmental organisations (NGOs)
among others.
Dr. Haque noted that Ghana was not on track to achieving
the millennium development goals target for sanitation
but development partners acknowledged the fact that
sanitation improvement was an enormous task for
developing country including Ghana.
She said “ In Ghana this task is even daunting as just
10 per cent of the population use improved sanitation
facilities and when use of shared latrine facilities is
added this increases to 51 per cent”.
Dr. Haque explained that over the years development
partners in water and sanitation had been advocating
with the government of Ghana to ensure that sanitation
was made a national priority with adequate budgetary
allocation.
“At present the budgetary allocation is extremely low
with the sector heavily reliant on donors who spend more
than 90 percent of resources to address for water and
sanitation in Ghana”, she added.
Dr. Haque expressed the hope that development partners
would help Ghana to create a safe and healthy
environment through the provision of improved sanitation
services.
Mr. Michael Owusu Amoako, Deputy Director at Brong-Ahafo
Regional Coordinating Council, expressed regret that
sanitation in urban communities was deteriorating and
district assemblies seemed to have been “overwhelmed” by
filth in almost every major town in the region.
He urged the Ministry of Local Government and Rural
Development to ensure that the environmental health and
sanitation unit was adequately resourced to enable
personnel to work effectively.
GNA
