The Rotary Club of Sunyani and their international partners, have commissioned 41 Microflush bio-fill toilets in two districts in the Bono Region.

In its first phase, the Clean Water and Sanitation project saw the construction of 21 and 20 units of Microflush bio-fill toilets at Fiapre and Tainso in the Sunyani West and Tain districts, respectively.

The microflush bio-fill toilet comes with a technology that requires just a little water to flush, hence the name microflush. It is also environmentally safe.

A United Nations report indicates, the world is not on track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal 6 on water and Sanitation by the 2030 deadline.

In 2015, 2.3 billion people worldwide lacked basic sanitation while 4.5 billion people’s sanitation services, are not adequately disposed or treated excreta. Out of this, 892 million people are practicing open defecation.

In Ghana, the situation is no different. President of Rotary Club, Sunyani East, Samuel Amemasor-Brooks said: “It is worrying to see people still defecating at refuse dumps, bushes and other unwarranted places within the communities”.

This canker, he said is largely the cause of many diseases afflicting the people in and around the communities.

Rotary Club, Sunyani East sort to help some households within these communities to improve their Sanitation and disease prevention in a bid to compliment government’s effort to achieve the SDG 6. This dream resulted in the Club raising funds, together with their international partners including Rotary club of Mount in America.

Some ¢53,000.00 was spent on the first phase but the amount is expected to rise to $104,624 when the second phase is commissioned later this year. The second phase will see the construction of 22 boreholes for selected communities in the Sunyani West, Tain and Sunyani Municipal Assemblies.

“It will take a strong advocacy by stakeholders including NGO’s and Civil Society Organisations to achieve the Objective of open defecation free society,” Amemasor-Brooks noted.

He, however, hinted resources are also needed aside the advocacy, to ensure the people have decent places of convenience in their homes.

“Sustainability is one key feature that is expected in all Rotary projects. We, therefore, enjoin you to keep these toilets well so they could last,” he told the beneficiaries.

Meanwhile, the Sunyani West District Chief Executive, Martin Obeng willingly sponsored three more microflush bio-fill toilets from his own private funds for the people of Fiapre. This brings the total number within Fiapre to 24.

He expressed his appreciation and gratitude, on behalf of the beneficiaries, to the Rotary club of Sunyani East for their help to improve water and sanitation issues within the district and beyond.

He also said, “the Assembly’s finances are stretched and it comes as a relief to have development partners such as Rotary club supporting them to meet the needs of the people”.

Explaining how the toilet facility works, Seth Jiam, In-charge of water and sanitation at Sunyani West District Assembly said, “the faecal matter gets digested through biological process. There is a sieve under the digester that filters the urine and small amount of water used in flushing. The water is then sieved down through a pipe into a suck-away that will be drained into the soil.

“The faecal matter is then digested through the process of earthworms, turning it into black soil in the digester which will be scooped from the inspection chamber when it gets to the brim. Concrete is cast under and there is a pipe through which the wastewater also moves into a four-feet deep suck-away. A natural precipitation takes place to ensure the wastewater does not cause any environmental problems. It requires no treatment. It generates no offensive odour or flies,” he said.

Seth Jiam further revealed the individual household’s only contribution to the project, which can last for about thirty years, was to raise the wall around the toilet without roofs and doors.

On his part, the acting Bono Regional Manager of Community Water and Sanitation Agency, Daniel Boateng Amankwah announced that they are constructing over 3,300 households latrine aimed at achieving open defecation-free communities.

“The nature of the Microflush bio-fill toilets is such that more and more households are getting interested and constructing them”, he said, adding there is the need to maintain and sustain what has already been built.”

A beneficiary, Akua said their hygiene situation will greatly improve as children and the aged can comfortably visit the lavatory at home and in a hygienic manner without having to pay.