The Effect of Sanitation on Economic Activities: The Case of Tema New Town Market
Date
2015-07
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Publisher
University of Ghana
Abstract
Though it is widely held that sanitation affects public health, more is yet to be known as to how its affect economic activity, especially in developing nations like Ghana. That being so, adequate awareness of the motivators for good sanitation options is yet to be attained. Therefore, this study assesses the effect of sanitation on economic welfare. The study engaged market participants from Tema New Town market in assessing market sanitation situation, factors contributing to poor sanitation, the effects of the sanitation of market on economic welfare using 228 market participants made up of 103 sellers and 125 buyers. Using both quantitative and qualitative the study also garnered views of from 3 Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) officials and 7 market opinion leaders. The findings are that sanitation in the market was not good. Despite the fact that waste collectors were deployed to manage waste on regular basis and communal refuse containers were provided, many sellers still disposed of waste indiscriminately. People were prone to dumping in gutters and drains resulting in choked gutters. There was lack of washrooms and toilet facilities, poor drainage, and waning commitment of waste management agencies to arrest the sanitation problems. The effects of poor sanitation include: reduced patronage of the market leading to low revenue; the sellers lost time in accessing washrooms from distal locations; and some sellers loss their income from trading to illness due to poor sanitation. The study recommends change of behaviour of market participants toward sanitation, effective collaboration of sanitation agencies, public education, participatory hygiene sanitation transformation of the market, and the need for more empirical studies into the indigenous understanding of sanitation and its benefits.
Description
Thesis(MPHIL)-University of Ghana,2015
Keywords
Sanitation, Tema New Town Market, Economic Activities