By Helena Selby
The sanitation, cleanliness and congestion free environment has been one of the priorities of almost all the metropolitan assemblies and the government. The existence of such environment will not only bring good health to the citizens but a good name as well to the nation. It has finally come to the realization of the government that irrespective of the consequences it posses on some of the citizens of the country in the process of obtaining a clean and spacious environment they ought to be on the verge of making that dream a reality. As the country is in dare need of investors to bring employment opportunities in the country it has been deemed a necessity to under take the necessary action to make the dream of a good sanitation and congestion free environment come to pass.
In fulfillment of this dream decongestion exercise was the appropriate solution the government decided on which in a case seem to be a good idea. Since the late part of last year, decongestion exercise has been the order of the day in many parts of the major cities in the country. The exercise has been very devastating for many Ghanaian as many properties and livelihood have been destroyed without any form of compensation with the explanation that the destroyed structures are illegal and unauthorized. Some time have passed now, properties and livelihood have been destroyed, a bit of space has been obtained in the metropolis, but the question is, is decongestion really the main solution towards the achievement of good sanitation, clean environment and congestion free environment for the development and attraction of investors in the country or more sensitive issues needs to be attended to. Obviously the attainment of good sanitation and clean environment is not only the matter of decongestion exercise but the ability of the various metropolis to tackle certain sensitive issues like open defecation which is even more an eradicator of investors since it is an eye-saw and even more uncivilized on the part of Ghanaians.
Decongestion exercise and open defecation
The decongestion exercise in some part of the Central Business District in Accra started upon the announcement of the greater Accra Minister Mr. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa to evict more than 40,000 people from Sodom and Gomorrah a slum in the suburb of Accra within the Central Business District. Upon directives of the minister, the AMA in the late part of last year with the aid of about 280 policemen undertook a demolishing exercise which affected more than 200 unauthorized structures at a slum in Avenor and 1,000 structures along the shores of Korle Gonno, followed by another Danquah Circle and Odorko, not exempting some parts of Kumasi as well.
The first decongestion exercise was also undertaken in Ashaiman. The exercise was not meant only for the demolishing of unauthorized structures around places like the Valco Flat, the night market, lebenen junction and the main transport station but also to get rid of traders and hawkers who sell on the pavement to allow a free flow of traffic. Affected people claimed it was impromptu and have incurred a lot of loss for them as many of their containers containing items were crushed down destroying everything in them.
So far so good decongestion exercise in the various metropolises has proven to be a good idea and supported by many people especially the non affected people. It has made way for space in metropolis; there is now free movement of cars and human without any form of discomfort and struggle.
The decongestion exercise has brought about a bit of the dreams of the government however how are they planning on tackling the issue of open defecation. Open defecation in spite of education on the various media houses and by many NGO’s open defecation is still prevalence in all the ten regions of the country. According to research around 20% of Ghanaians defecate in drains, fields, streams and in the bush and the beaches. Reports of the Ghana Statistical Service Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey report for 2006, in the Upper East Region with about 82% without any form of latrine, followed by the Upper West Region with about 79% and then the Northern Region with about 73%, Eastern Region with 5.5%, Brong Ahafo, 6.4%; Greater Accra, 8.1%; Western, 12.8%; Central, 18.1%; Volta, 13.8%; Northern, 72.9% and Upper West, 78.7%.
Twenty per cent of Ghanaians, representing about six million of the population practice open defecation, because they do not have access to toilet facilities or did not know the health implications. Some citizens complain about their attitude of open defecation as the lack of insufficient toilet facilities in their vicinity.
Many house builders have never made it a point to include toilet facilities in their building but rather even love to use the toilet space for a room to be rented out. Many Ghanaians who live in compound houses without toilet facilities or without no bush nearby turn to defecate into polythen bags and throw in on the roofs of their neighbours or there still they sometimes keeps them in their bin to be disposed when the rubbish truck goes to the neighbourhood.
The eradication of open defecation and decongestion exercise goes hand in hand as no investor will be willing to invest in a country which is prevalence of open defecation. What will be the guarantee that their health is secured and what will be the probability of the present investors convincing potential investors to come and invest in the country? If the government is really aiming at making Ghana a modernize state then it should not only concentrate on decongestion exercise but sure the supreme court’s banned on the usage will be effected.
According to a news report by the Ghanaian times newspaper in 2008, Supreme Court has banned the use of pan latrines effective July 8, 2008, it will not be until 2013 that they would be completely discarded, as the court gave a period of five years for pan latrines to be phased out in
Mandate of the metropolitan assemblies
Many metropolitan assemblies with the help of government have succeeded in decongesting the slums and unauthorized structures in the major cities of the country with the aim of modernizing the country. The Executive Officer of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly Dr Alfred Vanderpuije, as his as part of his mandate to modernize Accra considered decongestion exercise as one of the main keys towards that achievement especially as many of the capital is congested with illegal structures. Spelling out his development plan he made it aware that they have come out with a blueprint on a five –year development plan which will have long term and short term objectives with specific benchmarks addressing the issues and the need for development. According to him there is the need to create the environment that is conducive for the socio-economic development of Accra. We need to create that environment, we owe it to the residents of Accra,” Dr Vanderpuije stated.
In as much as it a good initiative by the government to make the major cities grea,t apart from solving the issue of open defecation as part of its achievement of a clean environment, it must as well recognize and put to heart the complains of the people. It is always the talk of the metropolitan assemblies that, the assembly has provided various places for affected persons to relocate but the truth of the issue is that the people complain about the relocated site being very bad for business transactions. The recent decongestion exercise at the vehicle station and the ejection of trader near the Novotel hotel has raised many concerns by traders as many complain that their relocation to Odawna is a big problem since it rains, the Odaw River overflows its banks, and would make selling very difficult for them.
Conclusion
Accra is the capital Ghana and as such it needed to look like a real capital so are the other major cities of the country. The capital of every country is expected to be recognized as a center of excellence not only by citizens only but foreigners who come to visit. It is expected that a capital city be free of any kinds of nuisance that will deter the migration of foreigners and investors in the country for developmental project which will benefit the whole nation. It of clear fact that in achieving this aspiration for the major cities in the country decongestion is not the only solution but the tackling of sensitive issues such as open defecation as well as finding a lasting solution to the affected persons of decongestion exercise. Beside it is the government responsibility not only to make the country develop but as well make the people of the country feel at home.
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