Atiavi, in The Keta Constituency of The Volta Region, will soon get its first Biogas Public Toilet Facility which is believed to also be the first of its kind in The Keta Municipality.

The facility will be constructed at Atiavi Agbodekor R.C Basic school to assist in addressing the sanitation challenges the pupils and students currently face.

A sod cutting ceremony was held at the grounds of the Atiavi Agbodekor RC Basic School on Friday, November 16, 2018, to mark the beginning of construction.

Present at the ceremony were the Paramount Chief of Atiavi and his council of elders, the Chairman and some executive members of the Atiavi Development Association, members of the Parents and Teachers Association of the School.

The prospective member of Parliament for the Keta Constituency, Mr Kofi B. Kukubor and members of the Community.

In his remarks, Dr William Ahadzie, the President of the Rotary Club of Accra East noted that constructing a 12-Seater Toilet Facility with a water supply system is intended to address sanitation challenges faced by the pupils and students of the school.

He further stated that the provision of water and sanitation facilities is one of the priority areas of Rotary International and urged the community to ensure that the facility is properly maintained for the benefit of many generations of students and pupils.

In addressing the gathering, Mr Kofi B. Kukubor, who worked with the Rotary Club to identify the beneficiaries of the project said that "infections among the girl child and women keep increasing due to the use of outmoded and unhygienic toilet facilities in the community which did not have flowing water to enable users to wash their hands after visiting the toilet”.

He also disclosed that "regular attendance at school for the girls is reduced during their period of menstruation.

This adversely affects their school work and ultimately their performance in final examinations

He stated that when the facility is completed, it will increase the number of days the girl child will stay in school and eliminate diseases related to an unhygienic toilet facility.

Mr Kofi B. Kukubor concluded that when the project is completed, it will serve as a model which will be replicated in other towns in the Keta Constituency as soon as funding is secured.

The Chairman of ADA, Mr Ferdinand Abodakpi, gave an undertaking that the Association will support the School Project Management Committee to maintain the project to ensure long-term benefits for the pupils and students.

On behalf of the people of Atiavi, the Paramount chief expressed his gratitude to Rotary for this gesture.