The Ashaiman Municipal Assembly in collaboration with a non-governmental organisation (NGO) has launched a partnership project to provide improved sanitation facilities in slums in the municipality.
The project is estimated to cost GH¢1.5 million.
The NGO, TREND, is to work with the assembly and the community, represented by the assembly members for the management of the facilities.
The project, which is made up of four different types of 12-seater water closet facilities at four different locations, will let the people have easy access to the facility and bring to a halt the numerous take over of ‘toilets’ in the municipality.
Ashaiman presently has 18 public places of convenience.
The Municipal Chief Executive, Nii Adinortey Addison ,in an address at the launch of the project, said Ashaiman was an urban centre with challenging sanitation problems.
He said attempts to have ‘toilets’ provided in homes have not been successful, and therefore, there was the need to provide adequate toilet facilities to serve the people.
Nii Addison appealed to residents of the municipality to support the project by ensuring that when completed, those put in charge would account for the proceeds to enable the assembly to provide more facilities in the municipality.
The Urban Planner /Researcher of TREND, Mr Benedict Tuffour, in a presentation said the TREND represented –Tripartite Partnership (TAP) project.
This, he explained, meant that the project was for the project co-ordinators, the assembly and the community, adding that no one group would have the legal capacity to take over the facilities.
Mr Tuffour said the project was being funded by the African Development Bank , Netherlands Water Partnership Partners (NWPP), TREND and the Ashaiman Municipal Assembly.
He said Ashaiman needed over 60 public toilets to adequately meet the demands of the people and that residents would be adequately served if the project increased the capacity of the facilities.
He said the facilities would have improved washroom services, water kiosks and water storage facilities .
Mr Tuffour noted that the construction of the facilities was scheduled to begin in January 2011 and would be completed by August 2011.
He said TREND was building the capacity of the assembly members and some selected local people to enable them to take care of the facilities when completed.
Meanwhile, the Ashaiman Municipal Assembly has organised a programme to educate residents on the need to meet their tax obligations for improved amenities.
The Municipal Chief Executive, Nii Adinortey Addison, expresed concern about the poor payment of levies resulting in the inability of the assembly to implement its development projects .
He said the assembly was able to collect only 21 per cent of its set revenue target last year and appealed to residents to pay their tolls, property rates, and other levies to enable the assembly meet its obligations.
Nii Addison said Ashaiman was expanding rapidly and therefore had to work hard to be able to collect revenue to finance its development programmes.
He said with support from the Social Investment Fund ( SIF) the assembly had engaged 50 volunteers to assist in the collection of revenue and also educate residents on the need to pay their rates .
Nii Addison said the SIF was to ensure that poor communities gained under the urban poverty reduction project (UPRP).
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