Open defecation as deadly as galamsey – Taskforce leader

A leader of the Open Defecation Taskforce is calling for the deployment of the military to fight the canker in the coastal belts of the country.
According to Alex Damtey, open defecation is now a “social canker” thus if the fight is not intensified, Ghana’s tourism sector will collapse.
ALSO READ: Invite me, I will shock the nation with an exposé on Owusu Bempah – Prophet Nigel
Ghana has been ranked second in Africa in open defecation with 19 percent of its population resorting to unsanitary practices deemed the riskiest of all.
The absence of proper toilet facilities in most parts of the country, particularly in areas along the coastal belts has, over the years, led to a conversion of the coastline into a free arena for defecation.
A World Bank report also disclosed that, one in every five Ghanaian practices open defecation, leading to the loss of $79 million annually.
ALSO READ: PHOTO: Man sets stepmother and 5-month-old baby ablaze
UNICEF has predicted it will take Ghana till 2050 to eradicate open defecation if we don’t use drastic measures to end the canker.
Commenting on the issue on Adom FM’s morning show Dwaso Nsem, Thursday, Alex Damtey expressed regret that despite all the efforts being made to end open defecation, the situation has grown from bad to worse.
He said the practice poses one of the greatest dangers to human health which has fatal consequences for the most vulnerable including children.
ALSO READ: PHOTO: Man sets stepmother and 5-month-old baby ablaze
Mr. Damtey who is the leader of the open defecation taskforce at Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abirem (KEEA)  Municipality revealed how members of his group escaped lynching by the whisker when they tried arresting some individuals who were engaging in open defecation.
The only way out, he stressed is to engage a joint police and military force along the coast to end the canker.