Awutu Bawjiase (C/R), July 3, GNA - The Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Environment has appealed to district assemblies not to grant prospective land developers building permits, if such they did not include places of convenience in their building plans. Mr Stephen Asamoah Boateng, Minister of Local Government Rural Development and Environment who made the appeal said government was discouraging the building of public toilets within communities to give way to household ownerships.

"Our development agenda requires that every household and public place such as churches, town halls and mosques had at least a toilet facility attached, since it is a necessary requirement for any social gathering," he said.

He was interacting with community members of Bawjiase during a tour of the Awutu-Effutu-Denya district in the Central region last week. He said the building of public toilets had provided a leeway to a number of landlords, who have refused to provide such facilities for their household.

"This attitude needs to be stopped," he said. Mr Boateng appealed to parents to desist from sending their wards to dislodge the household rubbish, since most children ended up dislodging the rubbish into drains and gutters. The increases in the number of floods during heavy rains were due mainly to the blockage in the drains due to the accumulation of rubbish, he said.

Mr Boateng therefore urged community members to join hands in ensuring that the country was rid of filth, since the accumulation of garbage was a problem that was gripping almost all the districts. "The crises is building up gradually and we need to curb it to ensure a healthy and clean environment," he said.