TaMA admits its inability to enforce bye-law on household toilet facility

The Tamale Metropolitan Assembly has admitted its failure to enforce a byelaw it instituted somewhere in 2011 to ensure all Landlords make provisions for toilet facilities in their homes in the metropolis.
The failure of the assembly is however attributed to the sinking financial background of residents of the metropolis.
In 2011, the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly made known its intension not to construct public toilets in neighbourhoods in all communities under its jurisdiction except at public places such as market, hospitals, lorry stations and institutions or places where people congregate on daily basis.
Announcing the directive, the then Mayor, Alhaji Haruna Abudulai Friday during a working visit at separate meetings with chiefs and opinion leaders in the Metropolis said Landlords and all owners of homes and other residential properties who do not have toilet facilities within their homes were therefore required to urgently provide such necessities or have themselves to blame when enforcement of the directive begins.
The initiative was to be implemented by all MMDAs across the country as part of measures by the local government ministry to combat poor environmental sanitation and other unhygienic condition associated with public toilets. This was also aimed at protecting the people against exposure to the risk of contagious and infectious diseases associated with the usage of public toilets.
The Public Affairs Director of the Assembly Issah Musah Salifu in an interaction with Fiila News admitted the assembly has not done much in enforcing the directive. This he said is as a result of the caliber of people they are dealing with and the financial status of the people. However, he said others are complying with the directive.
The PRO added that concerted efforts are being made to engage landlords to adopt such measures to help reduce the expenditure of the assembly. Despite the noncompliance, the assembly is encouraging landlords and other residential property owners to adopt the measure.
By: Saaka Alhassan/Fiilafmonline.com/Ghana