Construction of toilets and sanitation facilities begins at Sabon Zongo

This open air drain is being excavated to make way for a new drainage system at Sabon Zongo, Accra.

Credit: WaterAid Ghana

Imagine having to queue for several minutes every morning when nature calls.

For residents of Sabon Zongo, a slum in Accra, this is a normal occurrence as both school children and adults line up every morning to visit the toilet. Like many other poor urban communities, access to toilets for Sabon Zongo's 18,000 residents is limited. The limited facilities available to a small percentage of the slum are unsafe and unhygienic.

The community, which also lacks adequate drainage facilities, will soon benefit from the Water for African Cities (WAC II) project which is due to radically change the current sanitation situation.

The work so far

Work has already begun on the construction of a large toilet block and new drainage system at the St. Thomas Sanitary Site in Accra City. The WAC II projects will construct storm drains, institutional or public toilets and skip pads for safe refuse disposal. In view of the project, the Sub - Metropolitan authority Ablekuma Central has supervised the relocation of all squatters at the project site.

WAC II is a multi-partner project aimed at providing water and sanitation services to deprived urban communities with their active participation. The project uses its past experience to develop similar sustainable interventions elsewhere in poor urban communities in Accra.