Mr. George Bansah, Field Officer of Ho based EDSAM Social Network, a non-governmental organisation has urged households at Abutia Teti to use the toilet facilities provided by the Rotary Club and Relief International.

He made the appeal at a sensitization outreach for pupils and community members at Abutia Teti on Wednesday.

The outreach was to inculcate the habit of hand washing with soap in the community after visiting the toilet, before cooking, eating and breastfeeding of babies.

Mr. Bansah said EDSAM had realized after monitoring the hygiene practices in the community that some homes were not using the household toilets.

He described the situation as worrying and called on the traditional authorities to intervene.

“I do not think that excuses like we want to finish our self contained houses before we start using the facility are good enough. Our chiefs must come in to stop people from defecating in the open,” he said.

Mr. Bansah however warned that if the practice continues, his outfit would be compelled to advice donors to relocate all other sanitation related projects to other communities.

Mr. Michael Segbefia, Zonal Officer of the Environmental Health said open defecation in the community was exposing the community to a lot of diseases.

He lamented over the poor management of public toilets in those communities, saying, such situations breeds open defecation.

Ms Faith Kafui Amevor, Field Officer- EDSAM (in charge of water and sanitation) said the outreach was also to educate the community to be conscious of their health and to empower pupils to convince their parents and colleagues not to defecate in the open.**