Residents bemoan insanitary conditions at Chorkor, call for help

The health and well-being of residents of Chorkor, a suburb of Accra, remains at risk due to the unhygienic situation they find themselves in for decades.

The situation within the community highlights the need for urgent attention to sanitation challenges to prevent further disease outbreaks and protect residents as the cholera outbreak rages on.

The residents of Chorkor Chemu Naa are predominantly fisher folks and fishmongers.

For years, the area has gained notoriety in matters of poor sanitation. And that’s because there are no proper drainage systems nor proper refuse dumping sites in the community, leading to stagnant water sites and choked gutters.

There are no proper toilet facilities within the community nor frequent flow of pipe borne water. Open defecation is unavoidable.

“We need the help. People just come out of their homes to dump all manner of things including fecal matter inside the gutter and the stench is unbearable. If you talk, they will insult you. What can we do?” One of the residents lamented.

Another resident said the situation is worst when it rains. ‘‘When it rains, all the houses here get flooded. The gutter fills up and moves into the homes. But where do we go? We have complained and complained and nothing seems to work. Everything now lies on the Assembly and MP. The open defecation is worst.” He also lamented.

“With the lack of water flowing in the home, we can manage to go out and fetch, but the choked gutters must be looked at for us. I cook puff -puff for sale. But because of the gutter, I wake up very early to cook it before people wake up and see me cooking close to a gutter,” he added.

The “Chemu naa”, is where they would dump the refuse. As there are no adequate designated refuse dumping sites within the community. As the residents remain in this unhygienic environment, they would become prone to diseases and infections which thrive in filth.

Since the outbreak of cholera in the country, the Greater Accra Region has accounted for the majority of the cases. And Chorkor and its environs are among communities recording highest number of cases reported at the health facilities.

Dr. Charlotte-Alberta Cato, the Medical Superintendent of the Mamprobi Polyclinic says they are concerned.

“Most of them were coming from Chorkor and Shukura and then other places. And so, we would wish that everybody has a toilet in their homes. We would wish that everybody understands that it is not enough to say that doing along the shores is better than doing it in the WC. Ultimately, all the brunt of the insanitary conditions in our localities comes to us so yes, we are worried.” She noted.

The traditional authorities in the area appear helpless and oblivious of the challenges. Nii Onani Ona I is the Youth Chief of Chorkor.

“Water comes like once in a week and when people are having private toilet facilities in their houses and there is no water to flush, it has been a problem and a challenge to the community. We have been talking to them but they don’t do anything. All what we need is, we want them to fix our problems for us.” He explained.

Naa Adorkor Gyamfi, Chorkor Manye feels frustrated as well.

“As the Queen Mother for Chorkor, I receive a lot of issues regarding our sanitation. We plead with the government. We can’t do it on our own. This disease is very bad, and we need to be careful.” She warned.

Assembly Member for the area, Theophilus Isaac Quaye laments all efforts to get authorities to come to the aid of the community has fallen on deaf ears. A frustrated Theophilus Isaac Quaye threatened to incite the people against the authorities.

“When you get to the sub- metro, they cannot even boast of equipment of clean-up exercise. They have two rakes and two shovels. The AMA takes money from the community in the form of revenue. So you are taking money in the form of property rate, business operating permit and what are we getting? It is getting to a time where we will all inform our members not to be paying those taxes and revenues again.” He stated.

Cholera is a highly infectious disease caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. Its main causes include: Contaminated Water, Poor Sanitation, Food Contamination, Person-to-Person Contact, Poor Hygiene, and Lack of Access to Clean Water.

 

The post Residents bemoan insanitary conditions at Chorkor, call for help first appeared on 3News.

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