Health Officials of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly have effected the arrest of four persons in Old Fadama for operating pan latrines.
These are make-shift toilet facilities made of wood. Patrons would have to squat on a perforated wooden platform and ease themselves into a basin.
The raw excreta is usually dumped into the stagnant Korle Lagoon. Due to the adverse impact on the health of the residents, the AMA in 2020 outlawed it.
However, despite several warnings to discontinue its operation, the culprits were operating the latrines, hence the arrest on Thursday.
While visiting Old Fadama for a round of checks, Florence Kuukyi, the head of the AMA Environmental Health and Safety Department, chastised the culprits.
Two of the persons found culpable of operating the pan latrines are state security personnel. They were however not present at the location when the AMA showed up.
“These are state security men that are supposed to be helping us clamp down on this. We even came to them because they are state men to even talk to them to stop these act,” she said.
According to her, the military man was summoned in 2019 and he promised to put an end to it, but there has been no improvement in the situation.”