The Menace of Open Defecation in Ghanaian Communities: The Case of Gambaga and Nalerigu Communities in North East Region

Ibrahim Abudulai; Tia Abdulai Robert Aziz; Benjamin Ofori; Godfred Atta Adjei

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ijepp.20210902.11

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The Menace of Open Defecation in Ghanaian Communities: The Case of Gambaga and Nalerigu Communities in North East Region

Ibrahim Abudulai, Tia Abdulai Robert Aziz, Benjamin Ofori, Godfred Atta Adjei

Published in International Journal of Environmental Protection and Policy (Volume 9, Issue 2)

Received: 19 February 2021 Accepted: 9 March 2021 Published: 30 March 2021

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Abstract

The study sought to investigate the open defecation menace in Ghanaian communities with emphasis on Gambaga and Nalerigu Townships in the North East Region of Ghana. A sample of 70 respondents comprising household heads and Environmental and Sanitation Officers was considered for the study. Purposive and non-probability sampling techniques were used to select the respondents for the study. As a qualitative study, questionnaire, structured interview guide, and personal observation were instruments for data collection. The study revealed among others that the inability of some households to provide toilets in their homes accounted for the state of open defecation in the two townships. Again, some residents in Gambaga and Nalerigu Townships practice open defecation because of the bad odour that emanates from the public toilets leaving bad smell on their entire bodies once they visit the toilets. It was recommended that government, Non-Governmental Organizations, and other philanthropists should assist residents of Gambaga and Nalerigu by assisting them with some credit facilities to empower them to improve on their economic activities especially agriculture to earn enough income for the construction of their household latrines. It is also, recommended that the Municipal Assembly should replace the old public toilets with WC toilets to reduce the amount of odour that emanates from such old pit latrines.

Published in	International Journal of Environmental Protection and Policy (Volume 9, Issue 2)
DOI	10.11648/j.ijepp.20210902.11
Page(s)	16-26
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Communitiess, Township, Defecation, Sanitation

References

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[9]	World Bank, World Development Report (2015). Mind, Society, and Behavior, Washington, DC, USA.
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[11]	Boschi-Pinto C., Lanata, C. F. & Black, R. E. (2009). Maternal and Child Health. United States: Springer.
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[13]	WHO/UNICEF (2013). Progress on Sanitation and Drinking Water.
[14]	Reilly, O. & Kathleen (2016). “From toilet insecurity to toilet security: creating safe sanitation for women and girls”. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Water. 3 (1): 19-24. Doi: 10.1002/wat2.112.
[15]	Ghana Statistical Service (2013). 2010 Population and Housing Census: Summary Report of Results. Accra: Ghana Statistical service.
[16]	Pruss-Ustun, A., Bos, R., Gore, F. & Bartram, J. (2008). Safer water, better health: costs, benefits, and sustainability of interventions to protect and promote health: World Health Organization: http://www.who.int/quantifying_impacts/publications/saferwater/en/.
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[18]	Emerson, P. M., Bailey, R. L., Walraven, GEL & Lindsay, S. W. (2001). Human and other faeces as breeding media of the trachoma vector Musca sorbens. Med Vet Entomol: 2001; 15: 314–20.
[19]	Colley, D. G., Bustinduy, A. L., Secor, W. E. & King, C. H. (2014). Human schistosomiasis. Lancet; 383: 2253–64.
[20]	Ziegelbauer, K., Speich, B., Mäusezahl, D. Bos, R. & Keiser, J. (2012). Effect of sanitation on soil-transmitted helminth infection: systematic review and Meta-analysis. PLoS Med. 2012. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001162.
[21]	United Nations (2009). Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development: Report of the independent expert on the issue of human rights obligations related to access to safe drinking water and sanitation, Catarina de Albuquerque: http://ap.ohchr.org/documents/alldocs.aspx?doc_id=15861.
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APA Style

Ibrahim Abudulai, Tia Abdulai Robert Aziz, Benjamin Ofori, Godfred Atta Adjei. (2021). The Menace of Open Defecation in Ghanaian Communities: The Case of Gambaga and Nalerigu Communities in North East Region. International Journal of Environmental Protection and Policy, 9(2), 16-26. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijepp.20210902.11

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ACS Style

Ibrahim Abudulai; Tia Abdulai Robert Aziz; Benjamin Ofori; Godfred Atta Adjei. The Menace of Open Defecation in Ghanaian Communities: The Case of Gambaga and Nalerigu Communities in North East Region. Int. J. Environ. Prot. Policy 2021, 9(2), 16-26. doi: 10.11648/j.ijepp.20210902.11

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AMA Style

Ibrahim Abudulai, Tia Abdulai Robert Aziz, Benjamin Ofori, Godfred Atta Adjei. The Menace of Open Defecation in Ghanaian Communities: The Case of Gambaga and Nalerigu Communities in North East Region. Int J Environ Prot Policy. 2021;9(2):16-26. doi: 10.11648/j.ijepp.20210902.11

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@article{10.11648/j.ijepp.20210902.11,
  author = {Ibrahim Abudulai and Tia Abdulai Robert Aziz and Benjamin Ofori and Godfred Atta Adjei},
  title = {The Menace of Open Defecation in Ghanaian Communities: The Case of Gambaga and Nalerigu Communities in North East Region},
  journal = {International Journal of Environmental Protection and Policy},
  volume = {9},
  number = {2},
  pages = {16-26},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijepp.20210902.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijepp.20210902.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijepp.20210902.11},
  abstract = {The study sought to investigate the open defecation menace in Ghanaian communities with emphasis on Gambaga and Nalerigu Townships in the North East Region of Ghana. A sample of 70 respondents comprising household heads and Environmental and Sanitation Officers was considered for the study. Purposive and non-probability sampling techniques were used to select the respondents for the study. As a qualitative study, questionnaire, structured interview guide, and personal observation were instruments for data collection. The study revealed among others that the inability of some households to provide toilets in their homes accounted for the state of open defecation in the two townships. Again, some residents in Gambaga and Nalerigu Townships practice open defecation because of the bad odour that emanates from the public toilets leaving bad smell on their entire bodies once they visit the toilets. It was recommended that government, Non-Governmental Organizations, and other philanthropists should assist residents of Gambaga and Nalerigu by assisting them with some credit facilities to empower them to improve on their economic activities especially agriculture to earn enough income for the construction of their household latrines. It is also, recommended that the Municipal Assembly should replace the old public toilets with WC toilets to reduce the amount of odour that emanates from such old pit latrines.},
 year = {2021}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - The Menace of Open Defecation in Ghanaian Communities: The Case of Gambaga and Nalerigu Communities in North East Region
AU  - Ibrahim Abudulai
AU  - Tia Abdulai Robert Aziz
AU  - Benjamin Ofori
AU  - Godfred Atta Adjei
Y1  - 2021/03/30
PY  - 2021
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijepp.20210902.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijepp.20210902.11
T2  - International Journal of Environmental Protection and Policy
JF  - International Journal of Environmental Protection and Policy
JO  - International Journal of Environmental Protection and Policy
SP  - 16
EP  - 26
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2330-7536
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijepp.20210902.11
AB  - The study sought to investigate the open defecation menace in Ghanaian communities with emphasis on Gambaga and Nalerigu Townships in the North East Region of Ghana. A sample of 70 respondents comprising household heads and Environmental and Sanitation Officers was considered for the study. Purposive and non-probability sampling techniques were used to select the respondents for the study. As a qualitative study, questionnaire, structured interview guide, and personal observation were instruments for data collection. The study revealed among others that the inability of some households to provide toilets in their homes accounted for the state of open defecation in the two townships. Again, some residents in Gambaga and Nalerigu Townships practice open defecation because of the bad odour that emanates from the public toilets leaving bad smell on their entire bodies once they visit the toilets. It was recommended that government, Non-Governmental Organizations, and other philanthropists should assist residents of Gambaga and Nalerigu by assisting them with some credit facilities to empower them to improve on their economic activities especially agriculture to earn enough income for the construction of their household latrines. It is also, recommended that the Municipal Assembly should replace the old public toilets with WC toilets to reduce the amount of odour that emanates from such old pit latrines.
VL  - 9
IS  - 2
ER  -

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Author Information

Ibrahim Abudulai

Department of Social Sciences, Gambaga College of Education, Gambaga, Ghana
Tia Abdulai Robert Aziz

Public Utilities Regulatory Commission, Accra, Ghana
Benjamin Ofori

Department of Social Sciences, Gambaga College of Education, Gambaga, Ghana
Godfred Atta Adjei

Department of Social Sciences, Barekese Senior High School, Barekese, Ghana

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APA Style

Ibrahim Abudulai, Tia Abdulai Robert Aziz, Benjamin Ofori, Godfred Atta Adjei. (2021). The Menace of Open Defecation in Ghanaian Communities: The Case of Gambaga and Nalerigu Communities in North East Region. International Journal of Environmental Protection and Policy, 9(2), 16-26. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijepp.20210902.11

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ACS Style

Ibrahim Abudulai; Tia Abdulai Robert Aziz; Benjamin Ofori; Godfred Atta Adjei. The Menace of Open Defecation in Ghanaian Communities: The Case of Gambaga and Nalerigu Communities in North East Region. Int. J. Environ. Prot. Policy 2021, 9(2), 16-26. doi: 10.11648/j.ijepp.20210902.11

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AMA Style

Ibrahim Abudulai, Tia Abdulai Robert Aziz, Benjamin Ofori, Godfred Atta Adjei. The Menace of Open Defecation in Ghanaian Communities: The Case of Gambaga and Nalerigu Communities in North East Region. Int J Environ Prot Policy. 2021;9(2):16-26. doi: 10.11648/j.ijepp.20210902.11

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@article{10.11648/j.ijepp.20210902.11,
  author = {Ibrahim Abudulai and Tia Abdulai Robert Aziz and Benjamin Ofori and Godfred Atta Adjei},
  title = {The Menace of Open Defecation in Ghanaian Communities: The Case of Gambaga and Nalerigu Communities in North East Region},
  journal = {International Journal of Environmental Protection and Policy},
  volume = {9},
  number = {2},
  pages = {16-26},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijepp.20210902.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijepp.20210902.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijepp.20210902.11},
  abstract = {The study sought to investigate the open defecation menace in Ghanaian communities with emphasis on Gambaga and Nalerigu Townships in the North East Region of Ghana. A sample of 70 respondents comprising household heads and Environmental and Sanitation Officers was considered for the study. Purposive and non-probability sampling techniques were used to select the respondents for the study. As a qualitative study, questionnaire, structured interview guide, and personal observation were instruments for data collection. The study revealed among others that the inability of some households to provide toilets in their homes accounted for the state of open defecation in the two townships. Again, some residents in Gambaga and Nalerigu Townships practice open defecation because of the bad odour that emanates from the public toilets leaving bad smell on their entire bodies once they visit the toilets. It was recommended that government, Non-Governmental Organizations, and other philanthropists should assist residents of Gambaga and Nalerigu by assisting them with some credit facilities to empower them to improve on their economic activities especially agriculture to earn enough income for the construction of their household latrines. It is also, recommended that the Municipal Assembly should replace the old public toilets with WC toilets to reduce the amount of odour that emanates from such old pit latrines.},
 year = {2021}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - The Menace of Open Defecation in Ghanaian Communities: The Case of Gambaga and Nalerigu Communities in North East Region
AU  - Ibrahim Abudulai
AU  - Tia Abdulai Robert Aziz
AU  - Benjamin Ofori
AU  - Godfred Atta Adjei
Y1  - 2021/03/30
PY  - 2021
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijepp.20210902.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijepp.20210902.11
T2  - International Journal of Environmental Protection and Policy
JF  - International Journal of Environmental Protection and Policy
JO  - International Journal of Environmental Protection and Policy
SP  - 16
EP  - 26
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2330-7536
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijepp.20210902.11
AB  - The study sought to investigate the open defecation menace in Ghanaian communities with emphasis on Gambaga and Nalerigu Townships in the North East Region of Ghana. A sample of 70 respondents comprising household heads and Environmental and Sanitation Officers was considered for the study. Purposive and non-probability sampling techniques were used to select the respondents for the study. As a qualitative study, questionnaire, structured interview guide, and personal observation were instruments for data collection. The study revealed among others that the inability of some households to provide toilets in their homes accounted for the state of open defecation in the two townships. Again, some residents in Gambaga and Nalerigu Townships practice open defecation because of the bad odour that emanates from the public toilets leaving bad smell on their entire bodies once they visit the toilets. It was recommended that government, Non-Governmental Organizations, and other philanthropists should assist residents of Gambaga and Nalerigu by assisting them with some credit facilities to empower them to improve on their economic activities especially agriculture to earn enough income for the construction of their household latrines. It is also, recommended that the Municipal Assembly should replace the old public toilets with WC toilets to reduce the amount of odour that emanates from such old pit latrines.
VL  - 9
IS  - 2
ER  -

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