Basic 7 · Social Studies · Environmental Issues
Dealing with Sanitation Challenges
In this topic you will examine ways of dealing with sanitation challenges at the individual, community and national levels, and the roles of institutions in keeping the environment clean.
By the end of these notes you should be able to:
- Describe what individuals and households can do to improve sanitation
- Explain the roles of communities, institutions and the government
- Plan a sanitation project for the school or community
What you already know
- Causes and effects of poor sanitation
Copy everything that has a blue line on its left into your notebook. The other parts are for reading.
Lesson 1
- Strand
- Environment
- Sub-strand
- Environmental Issues
- Indicator
- B7.1.1.1.1 – Examine ways of dealing with sanitation challenges in the environment
Introduction
A clean community begins with clean homes. When each person does their part and the community works together, sanitation improves quickly.
1. What Individuals Can Do
- Put rubbish in bins and never litter.
- Keep sachet-water bags until you find a bin.
- Use toilets and keep them clean.
- Wash hands with soap after using the toilet and before eating.
- Reduce, reuse and recycle plastics.
- Sweep the compound and keep gutters around the house clear.
- Report sanitation problems to the authorities.
2. What Households Can Do
Households can provide covered bins, register with refuse collection services, build household toilets, keep their surroundings clean, compost food waste and teach children good habits. Parents who keep their homes clean set an example for the next generation.
3. Community Action
| Action | Benefit |
|---|---|
| communal labour and clean-up days | streets, markets and drains are cleaned |
| sanitation committees | plan and monitor cleanliness |
| community toilets | reduce open defecation |
| youth and school clubs | educate others and lead by example |
| local rules and fines | discourage littering |
4. The Waste Hierarchy
The best way to deal with waste is to avoid producing it. The waste hierarchy, from best to worst, is: reduce, reuse, recycle, recover (for example, composting or producing energy), and finally safe disposal in landfills. Burning and dumping in gutters are not acceptable methods.
5. Changing Behaviour
Changing behaviour takes time. Posters, radio jingles, school talks, drama and the examples of leaders help to change attitudes. Rewarding clean areas, for example by giving prizes to the cleanest class or community, also encourages good habits.
6. Recycling Enterprises
Some Ghanaian businesses and groups now collect plastic waste and turn it into useful products such as paving blocks, roofing tiles, bags and furniture. Others make compost from market waste for farmers. These enterprises clean the environment and create jobs, showing that waste can become a resource. Learners can support them by sorting plastics and giving them to collectors.
New words
- communal labour
- Community members working together for the common good.
- waste hierarchy
- The order of preferred ways of dealing with waste.
- landfill
- A site where waste is buried.
- sanitation committee
- A group that plans and monitors cleanliness.
Summary
- Individuals improve sanitation by not littering, using toilets, washing hands and recycling.
- Households and communities act through bins, toilets, clean-ups and committees.
- The waste hierarchy puts reducing waste first and disposal last.
Class activity: Class Clean-Up
- Plan and carry out a clean-up of an area of the school compound.
- Sort the waste collected into labelled bins.
- Discuss how to keep the area clean afterwards.
You need: Used sachet-water bag, Labelled waste bins, Printed photographs of a local Ghanaian drain, Refuse site
Exercises
Answer in your exercise book first, then check your answers.
1. Which action helps sanitation?
- A. putting rubbish in bins
- B. littering
- C. burning plastics
- D. dumping in gutters
Show answer
Answer: putting rubbish in binsGood habit.2. In the waste hierarchy, the best option is to…
- A. reduce waste
- B. burn waste
- C. dump waste
- D. bury all waste
Show answer
Answer: reduce wasteAvoid waste.3. Communal labour helps keep communities clean.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: TrueWorking together.4. A site where waste is buried is a ______.
Show answer
Answer: landfillDisposal site.5. State four things an individual can do to improve sanitation.
Show answer
Answer: Use bins, use toilets, wash hands, recycle plastics (or report problems).Any four.6. Explain why rewarding clean areas can change behaviour.
Show answer
Answer: Rewards encourage people to compete and take pride in keeping their areas clean.Motivation.
Lesson 2
- Strand
- Environment
- Sub-strand
- Environmental Issues
- Indicator
- B7.1.1.1.1 – Examine ways of dealing with sanitation challenges in the environment
Introduction
Keeping Ghana clean requires the work of many institutions, laws and programmes, together with the cooperation of every citizen.
1. Institutions Responsible for Sanitation
| Institution | Role |
|---|---|
| Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) | collect refuse, build drains and toilets, make and enforce by-laws |
| Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources | makes national policy on sanitation and water |
| Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) | controls pollution and protects the environment |
| environmental health officers | inspect homes, markets and food vendors |
| private waste companies | collect and manage refuse for a fee |
| Ghana Health Service | educates the public and controls diseases |
| NGOs and community groups | educate people and support projects |
2. Laws and Programmes
The 1992 Constitution makes protecting the environment a duty of every citizen. MMDAs make sanitation by-laws that forbid littering and open defecation and allow fines for offenders. Programmes such as National Sanitation Day, which encouraged communities to clean their areas on the first Saturday of each month, and campaigns against open defecation aim to change behaviour.
3. Challenges Facing Institutions
Institutions face challenges such as lack of money and equipment, too few workers, poor cooperation from residents, political interference and difficulty enforcing by-laws. Citizens can help by paying refuse fees, obeying rules and reporting offenders.
4. Planning a School Sanitation Project
Plan a project
Our school has no proper refuse bins and the toilets are often dirty.
- Problem: litter on the compound and dirty toilets.
- Goal: a clean compound and toilets within one term.
- Actions: provide labelled bins, draw a toilet-cleaning rota, set up a health club.
- Resources: bins donated by the PTA, cleaning materials, posters.
- Monitoring: the health club inspects weekly and reports to the headteacher.
Answer: A clear plan with a goal, actions, resources and monitoring.
5. The Role of the Media and Religious Bodies
The media and religious bodies also help improve sanitation. Radio and television stations run campaigns and announce clean-up exercises. Churches and mosques remind members that cleanliness is part of good living, and many organise clean-ups of their surroundings. Traditional leaders can also make rules and lead their communities by example.
New words
- MMDA
- Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assembly.
- EPA
- Environmental Protection Agency.
- environmental health officer
- A person who inspects sanitation and food hygiene.
- enforce
- To make sure a rule is obeyed.
Summary
- MMDAs, the EPA, the Ministry, health officers, private companies and NGOs all work on sanitation.
- Laws and by-laws forbid littering and open defecation, and programmes encourage clean-ups.
- Citizens support institutions by paying fees, obeying rules and reporting offenders.
Class activity: Sanitation Project Plan
- Identify a sanitation problem in your school.
- Write a project plan with a goal, actions, resources and monitoring.
- Present it to the class and the headteacher.
You need: Used sachet-water bag, Labelled waste bins, Printed photographs of a local Ghanaian drain, Refuse site
Exercises
Answer in your exercise book first, then check your answers.
1. Which institution controls pollution in Ghana?
- A. EPA
- B. ECG
- C. GES
- D. NHIS
Show answer
Answer: EPAEnvironmental Protection Agency.2. MMDAs are responsible for…
- A. refuse collection and sanitation by-laws
- B. printing money
- C. foreign policy
- D. national defence
Show answer
Answer: refuse collection and sanitation by-lawsLocal government.3. Environmental health officers inspect markets and food vendors.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: TrueTheir role.4. To make sure a rule is obeyed is to ______ it.
Show answer
Answer: enforceImplementation.5. State three roles of MMDAs in sanitation.
Show answer
Answer: Collect refuse, build drains and toilets, make and enforce by-laws.Any three.6. Explain two challenges faced by institutions in managing sanitation and how citizens can help.
Show answer
Answer: Lack of funds and poor cooperation; citizens can pay refuse fees and obey by-laws.Challenges and help.
Homework
- Write a letter to your Assembly Member about a sanitation problem and suggest solutions.