Some residents of Tema New Town in the Greater Accra region have resorted to open defecation as managers of public toilets in the community increase their fees.

Managers of the facilities which were built by VALCO and donated to the community adjusted the fees from 30 pesewas to 50 pesewas per person.

Residents, most of whom do not have toilet facilities in their homes have been questioning the increase.

Some of them told Joy News in an interview that they cannot afford the new charges; they therefore have no option than to find an alternative – open defecation.

“How can someone who is not working pay 50 pesewas for just emptying his bowels,” an incensed resident, Adjei Mensah queried in an interview with Joy News’ Kwetey Nartey.

A carpenter, Isaac Awudu said “most of us go to the bush because of the high fees. Sometimes when I come here I don’t get the money so I go to the bush.”

Isaac has lived in the community for 10 years and recounts that the use of public toilet is strictly adhered to but the recent increase is intolerable.

He said residents are unhappy, adding that they have come together to protest the increases and have agreed not to pay.

“The price is too high so they have to come back to their normal charges”, he stressed.

He indicated that  they have complained about the prices, yet nothing has been done about it.

For the resdients, whose main stay is fishing and other low income generating jobs, a decrease in the fees is the only reason they will go back to using the public toilets.

However, managers of the facilities argue that the increases are necessary to meet accepted standards.

Kwetey Nartey noted that the facilities are indeed clean but opinion leaders insist the fees should be reduced.

According to them, their checks reveal the fees have not been approved by the Tema Metropolitan Assembly.

They are against the open defecation and believe that if the rate is reduced to a point where everybody can afford, it will reduce the number of people trooping into the bushes to defecate.

“VALCO is not comfortable with the situation and they have hired people to arrest those defecating in the bushes. It has become a problem,” one of the leaders told Kwetey.