The Ashaiman Municipal Assembly (ASHMA) says it intends to soon drag property owners who have failed to provide toilet facilities in their homes to the law courts.

The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of the Assembly, Mr. Ibrahim Baidoo, sounded the warning at a function to remind homeowners in the municipality of the need to take advantage of the bio-fill toilet facility for homes within the municipality.

The Assembly, in a bid to improve sanitation in the municipality, earlier this year introduced a package for the construction of some 2000 bio-fill toilet facilities in households within the area.

The facility has been pre-financed by the Assembly while landlords of beneficiary households who sign up for the installation of the bio-fill toilets on their compounds paying back within a year.

But use of the facility has been low, and the Ashaiman boss is sounding the caution that time is running out for landlords and landladies who have no toilets in their homes and have still not applied for the bio-fill toilets.

“We call on all landlords and ladies to patronise this facility since the Assembly will have no choice but apply sanctions to houses that do not have toilets as per the national building regulation and the Act 462 that governs the Assembly,” he threatened.

“We have managed, as an Assembly, to go out of the box, we’ve travelled as far as The Netherlands. We’ve managed to get a subsidy and we are helping every home in the municipality for you to own decent toilets rather than relying on the public toilets.”

Mr. Baidoo said the bio-fill toilets – which the Assembly secured from the Netherlands – are the “only decent way we can live.” He condemned the problem of open defecation, especially at night, saying the practice must come to an end for sanitation in the area to improve.

“That must stop. That must stop now. You better have a decent toilet in your homes. You, as individuals, cannot go out during the night to ease yourselves. We have to stop,” lamented the MCE, adding, “The Assembly will begin the prosecution of these landlords very, very soon.”