The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has revealed that 77% of 437 sampled households in the Ada East District engage in open defecation.
According to the IOM, these households lack access to pit toilets or latrines, forcing them to resort to open defecation. Only 23 per cent of the surveyed households have access to proper toilet facilities.
Furthermore, the survey found that affected households rely on canals, bushes, fields, or other open spaces to defecate, posing serious sanitation and health risks.
These findings were highlighted in a recent Population Mobility Mapping for Cholera Response survey conducted by the IOM Ghana Mission. The study covered 10 communities in the district, including Azizanya, Totope, Puteh, Otrokpe, and Azizakpe, as well as Kewunor, Teyemensah Panya, Foah Zongo, Ocanseykorpe, and Kasseh.
The report noted that communities situated along major trade routes, fishing hubs, and areas with high population movement such as Totope, Pute, and Azizanya experience greater exposure to cholera. These locations serve as transit points for traders, fishermen, and seasonal workers, increasing the risk of disease transmission across different regions.
“Additionally, the presence of large gatherings, including markets and festivals, has facilitated the spread of cholera through contaminated water and food sources. Limited access to proper sanitation in these high-mobility areas further exacerbates the challenge, as open defecation and poor waste management contribute to environmental contamination,” the report stated.
The IOM also identified climate-sensitive environments, socio-economic challenges, and complex human mobility patterns as factors worsening the recent cholera outbreak in these areas. Among these challenges are the internal displacement caused by the October 2023 floods around the Volta Basin, the spillover of the Sahel crisis, and the economic significance of the Abidjan-Lagos corridor.
The survey further revealed that Pute recorded the highest proportion of households without access to toilets or pit latrines (17 per cent), followed by Azizanya (12 per cent), Otrokpe (11 per cent), Kasseh (seven per cent), and Foah Zongo (five per cent).
Also Azizakpe, Azizanya, and Kewunor reported no households with latrines.
