By Muhyadin Ahmed Roble | AfricaNews
About three million residents of Addis Ababa — one of the biggest cities in sub-Saharan Africa — have no access to toilets, according to a new report by the city authorities. It revealed: “Out of this nearly 25 percent of the population have no access to toilets and defecate in rivers crossing the city.”
Speaking at the launch of the report, Mekuria Haile, a senior local government official said Ethiopia cannot endure any more waste in rivers and roads, and want to make sure that the city is clean and a better place to live.
“We should be ashamed. Addis Ababa is fighting against solid waste management and health problems posed by unsafe drinking water and inadequate sanitation,” he added.
It was believed that the rural area is better than the capital because they have access to good latrines and safe drinking water.
Almost 66% percent of the Ethiopia population has access to safe water while other 56% has access to toilets, Bizuneh Tolcha, Public relations chief at the Water Resources Ministry said in an IRIN report.