By Opesika Tetteh Puplampu
Ada Foah, March 04, GNA – Professor Prince Boateng, the Principal of the Ada College of Education, has disclosed plans to construct 1,500 biodigester toilets in homes in the Ada East District, to reduce the spate of open defecation in the district.
Prof. Boateng said the Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation made the offer when it opened a biodigester training centre at the Ada College of Education in March 2024.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), he disclosed that the college was awaiting the involvement and collaboration of the District Assembly, to conduct an assessment to identify homes that urgently need the biodigester toilets.
He noted that the biodigester would cost between GHS 5,000.00 and GHS 9,000.00 per unit to construct and operationalise, a price he said was cheaper than what was on the open market.
Prof. Boateng said the advanced type of biodigester to be constructed did not require much space, indicating that homes that would take advantage of the offer would save considerable costs in dislodging septic tanks in the shortest possible time.
He noted that, hitherto, dislodging of septic tanks in the various halls of residents of the college cost about GHC45,000.00, adding that to cut costs, the school opted for the biodigester, which would also be beneficial to the community if they embraced it.
He said the bio-digester did not require the creation of deep manholes or the insertion of deep tanks into the ground, therefore solving public concerns of high-water table challenges faced in constructing toilet facilities in the coastal communities.
Prof. Boateng added that soon, another training session in biodigester construction would be organised for interested artisans in the area, with the minimum qualification for participants being one’s ability to read and write.
He explained that in the previous training sessions, artisans without reading and writing skills were, however, trained in their local languages.
He encouraged the public, especially indigenes of Ada to be part of the training, to acquire employable skills, and at the same time contribute to curbing open defecation in the district.
GNA