Global Journal of Science Frontier Research, H: Environment & Earth Science, Volume 22 Issue 1

Figure 7: Assets of respondents, Source: Field Survey, 2020 f) Availability of Household Toilet Also, on the question of households having toilets, the study revealed that as high as 94.1 percent of respondents were having household toilets, while 5.9 percent of the household do not own household toilet. This means that communities have more than the 80% thresh holds of household toilet coverage and were therefore open defecation free. The CLTS verification protocol states that a community can become ODF if 80% households have and use household toilets and the remaining 20% of households do not defecate in the open. g) Cost of Household Toilet The minimum amount needed to construct a basic toilet in 2012 ranged from US$35.00 for a basic pit latrine to US$180.00 for a VIP latrine (WASH Cost, 2012) but it is now US$283.33. Cheaper amount in the construction of latrines are at risks of long-term failure such as collapse of the super structure or substructures. If the cost of construction is high, most poor households and vulnerable groups like the aged and the destitute are unable to construct household latrines. The cost of building latrines vary because of variability in the US Dollar to Ghana Cedi rate and the variability in fuel prices in Ghana. Currently one US Dollar is five Ghana Cedis Seventy-nine pese was (1.00 US$=GHS 5.79) and the price of petrol for a litre is six Ghana Cedis, five pese was (GHS 6.05). The combined effect of these variables affects the cost of materials used for the construction of latrines at the households. For example, a bag of cement in the Northern Region is Fifty Ghana Cedis an equivalent of Eight US Dollars, Sixty-four cents (US Dollars 8.64) and a trip of sand is Five Hundred Ghana Cedis (US Dollars 86.36). These materials are important for the substructure. Other factors which are important and whose costs cannot be determined in the construction of a household latrine are cost of labor, building and constructional materials. The survey on the type of toilet build by the households shows that 74.5 percent of the respondents build the traditional pit latrine, while 25.5 percent of the respondents build the improved pit latrine. This means that majority of the households in the communities build traditional pit latrine toilets in their houses. h) Reasons for not having toilet in the household The reasons given for not using toilets vary. The interview indicated that, they did not have money to construct household toilets. Others said they prefer 25, 11.1% 15, 6.7% 20, 8.9% 40, 17.8% 60, 26.7% 10, 4.4% 5, 2.2% 50, 22.2% 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 Assets owned by respondents Number of respondents © 2022 Global Journals 1 Year 2022 36 Global Journal of Science Frontier Research Volume XXII Issue ersion I VI ( H ) Assessing the Determinants of Open Defecation Free Communities b ased on the Socio-Demographic and Economic Status of Household Heads in the Mion District of Northern Region, Ghana