The Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) has expressed worry over the prevalence of open defecation in some communities, especially those along the seashore within the Metropolis. Mr Abdul-Mumin Issah, the Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE), said despite the Assembly's efforts in tackling the menace, about 15 communities were still classified as open defecation prone. He was speaking at the launch of 'Operation clean your surroundings,' a campaign to help address the growing deplorable environmental sanitation practices within the Metropolis, in Sekondi. Mr Issah noted that in 2021, a total of 176 people were arrested for open defecation while 89 were arrested in 2022, and 40 at the end of the third quarter of 2023 According to him: 'This year alone, 27 houses without toilets and 30 other sanitation-related nuisances have been prosecuted successfully, and the interventions initiated by the assembly, to a large extent, have helped to improve upon sanitation and hygiene in the Metropolis, but the progress has been slower than anticipated'. The MCE said: 'It is sad to note that people are still openly defecating at seashore and bushes despite the numerous efforts to discourage the phenomena of open defecation within the Metropolis.' Meanwhile, Mr Issah indicated that the STMA through a European Union funded Twin-Cities in Sustainable Partnership Project (TCSPP) was constructing 500 bio-digester toilets for households in coastal communities which would prioritize female-headed households, disabled and aged. He said the Assembly was committed to providing the needed infrastructural support in these communities to help reduce the open defecation menace within the Metropolis. 'I do not doubt that with the backing and total commitment from all stakeholders, we will succeed in this course,' he added. Touching on the campaign, Mr Issah said it was aimed at enforcing the Assembly's environmental sanitation by-laws and encouraged citizens to take responsibility for their actions for a cleaner environment. H e explained that the campaign would raise awareness of cleanliness, hygiene, waste management, and environmental preservation through media campaigns and the deployment of a task force to ensure residents complied with the sanitation by-laws laws. 'The campaign will educate, arrest, prosecute, name and shame sanitation-related offenders across the Metropolis because we ultimately aim to collectively change certain socio-cultural practices from the community members towards environmental sanitation,' he noted. The 'Operation clean your surroundings' campaign is a component of a three-year TCSPP, being implemented by the STMA, Palermo Municipality in Italy and, other partners and sought to address cleanliness within the environment to help promote healthy living conditions and enhance hygienic lifestyle among the people. Source: Ghana News Agency