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In search of a place of convenience; where to do it is always a headache

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It doesn’t much surprise me to know that only about 13 per cent of the almost 30 million people living in Ghana have access to decent toilet facilities in the country. After 54 years of independence, we must bow down our heads in shame as a country which claims to be a “middle income” earner. (Where ever that statistics came from)

Last month, November 19 marked World Toilet Day. A day set aside by the United Nations to raise global awareness of the struggle 2.6 billion people face every day without access to proper, clean sanitation.

Celebrated in over 19 countries, the day brings to the forefront the health, emotional and psychological consequences the poor endure as a result of inadequate sanitation.

With less than 4 years to achieve the MDG target on water and sanitation, Ghana is still battling on how to provide her people with access to potable water and good sanitation.

Water Aid’s policy report for 2011 indicates that the country is off track and off target in attaining that goal.

I don’t want to get “off track and off target” on my point of accessing a place of convenience in the city.

One busy afternoon as I was doing my usual rounds, it dawned on me to find out the state of toilet facilities in our public institutions; the ministries, departments and agencies.

Before then, I had visited one of the toilet facilities of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) office in Accra and the scene which welcomed me was nothing to write home about.

I was therefore surprised that the AMA boss had failed to set the example for landlords to follow suit since the Assembly, since 2010 banned the use of pan latrines in the metropolis.

That is not to say I saw a pan latrine there ooooooo. But more or less, I did since I didn’t know whether to sit or squat on the water closet (WC) because the seat had been ripped off. That aside was the eyesore of urine splashed on the main body of the closet. (And this was supposed to be a place of convenience for women).

That is to say, we as citizens also have our part to play in ensuring that such places are left clean enough for the next user.

Ok, so back to my agenda. Aside having its toilet seat off, there was no toilet roll, thus leaving users of the place with no option than to use any paper they could lay hands on.

The trash basket was also full, with some of the used paper lying on the floor of the wet cubicle. There and then, I contemplated on whether to use or not to use the place for fear of contracting a disease which was common with such places.

So after staying in there for about a minute, (I thank God I didn’t faint although the smell was bad too) I finally decided to use the “loo” since at that point in time, it was the only place I could use.

In a haste, I quickly picked a tissue I had in my bag to clean myself and to avoid any contractions. Done, I opened the tap to wash my hands. But there was neither soap nor towel to wipe my hands with.

Well, why do I have to imagine using a soap or towel when even there was no toilet roll to wipe myself? So what happens to someone who has to rush into the “loo” desperately when nature calls at the wrong time? Assuming he or she does not have a tissue paper like I did, how does the AMA expect the one to clean him or herself?

Quickly I dashed out of the place like I had just met the devil himself. I was relieved as I gasped for fresh air outside.

So, when I decided to inspect the MDA’s I was already prejudiced about the scene at those places too and lo and behold, my judgment was right about some of the places.

The first ministry I visited was the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development.  It was quite difficult getting access to the female toilet. I had to lie about my identity to access the place. (Moreover, how sure was the receptionist that I was who I claimed I was when she didn’t even bothered requesting for an ID).

Over there, the female toilet was clean, the water was running, although some of the toilet seats were broken, there was access to soap and towel for use after attending to nature’s call. The only problem was the stench which emanated from the place.

Quite convinced and satisfied with my findings, I moved on to the next ministry, the Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare. Right behind the ministry was a pile of rubbish. Like the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, I was met with another impediment; the receptionist, who kept on quizzing me just because I wanted to use their toilet. (Can you imagine if indeed I needed the toilet badly to attend to nature’s call, what could have happened?).

So she finally gave in and after so much quizzing, I wasn’t surprised to see most of the toilet pipes broken. Maybe that was why she didn’t want to give me access to the place for fear of embarrassing the ministry.

At some of the ministries such as Education and Communication, it was so difficult to even get a key to the toilet since those places had custodians.

The only ministry which really impressed me was the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing. The toilet was neatly tiled with bold inscriptions “LADIES”, “GENTS” written on the doors of the respective places.

At the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the broken down toilets served as a storage facility for cleaning materials. This tells me of the less importance we attach to toilets in the country.

Another impressive ministry was the Ministry of Energy. Unlike other ministries where I had to go “begging” for the keys to attend to nature’s call, the doors to the toilets were opened with three cubicles assigned to females and one cubicle assigned to visitors to the ministry.

My heart broke upon entering the toilet of the Ministry of Tourism which ensures the development and promotion of tourism and improvement of the capital city on a sustainable basis.

The toilet was unkempt with no running water, toilet rolls or detergent. What kind of message therefore, is the ministry sending out to tourists who visit the ministry’s toilets for the first time? Perhaps, there is another toilet purposely for such visitors.

So at the end of the day, after touring toilets upon toilets, I drew my conclusion that even if these ministries, agencies and department pay less attention to their toilet facilities, how much more attention do we as Ghanaians expect them to pay to the numerous public toilets loitered all over the city.

Just wake up one early morning to Chorkor, Nima, Jamestown, Newtown, Madina and Dome, just to mention a few, and expect to be visited by long queues at the public toilets. It is no fault of theirs that they have to queue most especially when the custodian of the place has not come to work yet and has the keys to the place in his or her pockets.

Somewhere last year, around 9 PM, I found myself at the 37 lorry station after visiting my sister at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.  There again, I had to urinate since my bladder could no longer hold the volume of urine I kept for more than three hours.

I quickly dashed to the public toilet and the scene was an eyesore that the urge to urinate disappeared. The toilet seats were broken and there floor of the place was so messed up. (Some of the faeces lay bare on the floor and no one, not even the custodian was bothered to clean it). To make matters worse, the tap was not flowing.

And this is what many slum dwellers wake up each morning to queue to.

So what are the monies charged users of such public places used for? Hmm, Ghana and accountability problems! Not to talk of maintenance culture!

Well, the situation could be worse outside the capital. Travelling on any of the major highways, say from Accra to Kumasi where more than half of the scene on the journey is only thick forest, shrubs, bushes, small settlements, about one or two gas filling stations, one will always be in hot waters if nature calls. Where to do it is always a headache.

By: Jasmine Arku

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