The chiefs and people of Tanoso, a farming community in the Techiman Municipality, have appealed to government to provide them with toilet facilities, to avert cholera outbreak in the area.

According to the Tanoso Traditional Council, the only public toilet in the community served about 18,000 people, a situation which had resulted in open defecation by some of the residents.

The appeal was contained in a statement signed by Nana Sarfo Kantanka, the Ankobeahene and President of the Tanoso Traditional Council and copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on Tuesday in Sunyani.

It noted with regret that because of the situation, many residents in the area also defecated around the banks of the Dwansua, Tentene, Krakua and Susin streams, tributaries of the River Tano, the major source of drinking water in the area and parts of the Techiman Municipality.

“The faeces are directly washed into the Tano river, which also supplies the whole Offinso North District in the Ashanti Region with water,’ the statement said.

It indicated that if immediate steps were not taken to address the problem, it would lead to an outbreak of cholera.

It expressed concern about the poor drainage and lighting systems in the town, and therefore appealed to Non-governmental Organisations, philanthropists, the Techiman Municipal Assembly and corporate bodies to come to the aid of the community.