The Northern Regional Minister, Alhaji Shani Alhassan Shaibu has declared Saturday, 29th May, 2021 and all other last Saturday of every month as Regional Sanitation Day.
Code named “Clean Northern Region” the aim is to combat the sanitation menace within the region.
The objective is to eliminate filth in the region, promote good sanitation and hygiene and to improve good health to enable people within the region to undergo their daily business without environmental health threats.
At a brief ceremony at the RCC in Tamale, the Minister lamented that “the practice of open defecation together with widespread filth, choked gutters and drains are detrimental to the health of the people and constitute a major threat to lives.
“Our water bodies get contaminated when it rains, posing great dangers to disease outbreaks. In the midst of all of these, we are commencing Operation Clean Northern Region as a direct response, to reawaken interest and action to deal with these menaces,” Alhaji Alhassan Shaibu stressed.
The Regional Minister also revealed that available data from the Ghana Health Service shows that top ailments across the health facilities in the region relate mostly to unhygienic conditions in the various communities.
“Even though we have made good progress in dealing with open defecation, coming from 21.5% in 2016 to 61.4% in 2020 and, 62.6% for 2021 in CLTS situation in the region, it is sad to note that, available data from the Environmental Health and Sanitation Unit indicates worrying trends in Open Defecation in our communities”, the Minister added.
Alhaji Alhassan Shaibu also lamented that Open Defecation is worst within the Tamale Metropolis and surrounding major towns such as Sagnarigu, Savelugu, Kumbungu and Tolon as compared to far districts such as, Yendi, Kpandai and Tatale.
The Regional Minister called on Chiefs, Religious Leaders, Market women and other opinion Leaders to support the “Clean Northern Region” campaign to ensure its success.
Story by: Edward A. Ken-Zorre
