Katsina agency employs ‘spot and fix’ to halt open defecation
By Tosin Kolade
Abuja, March 27, 2020 (NAN) The Katsina State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA), says it is deploying a ‘spot and fix’ mechanism toward ending open defecation in the state.
The agency’s Executive Director, Mr Aminu Dayyabu, stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Abuja.
Dayyabu said the agency saw the need to address immediate causes of open defecation in communities in the state and this had led to reduction in the practice.
He expressed optimism that a large number of Local Government Areas (LGAs) would soon be declared Open Defecation-Free (ODF), adding that the state had domesticated the roadmap toward ending open defecation.
“What we do is to identify an issue with the communities, examine the likely cause and fix it immediately; if it is lack of toilet, we provide it and solve the problem of open defecation.’’
Dayyabu said that the state was benefiting from the UNICEF supported Sanitation Hygiene and Water in Nigeria (SHAWN) Project since 2010.
He said that there were large investments from stakeholders to see that the LGAs were open defecation free.
“We have really worked very hard, the state and local governments, and relevant stakeholders have really invested heavily to see that Katsina state achieves a significant level of ODF LGAs.
“Just last year (2019), we were able to develop and domesticate the roadmap to see that Katsina state is certified as ODF in the next five years.
“The government is very mindful of the challenge of open defecation in the state that is why the present government has taken it very seriously to build the capacity of the local governments.
“The RUWASSA staff and even the community, the governor is an advocate of seeing that the state moves to the next level in scaling up sanitation delivery,’’ he said.
According to him, the state government is worried about open defecation practice, hence strengthening efforts in building the capacity of members of staff of LGAs, RUWASSA and communities for overall adherence to hygiene promotion at all times.
The executive director said that engaging in open defecation and living in unhygienic environment was responsible for most of the water and environment-related diseases.
He urged the people to desist from those acts.
Dayyabu said that stopping defecation in open environment would further assist to prevent outbreak of diarrhoea and cholera, which account for high rate of child mortality in the state.
According to UNICEF, poor access to improved water and sanitation in Nigeria remains a major contributing factor to high morbidity and mortality rates among children under five.
The use of contaminated drinking water and poor sanitary conditions result in increased vulnerability to water-borne diseases, including diarrhoea which leads to deaths of more than 70,000 children under five annually. (NAN)
TAK/JEY/GY
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Edited by Johnson Eyiangho/Grace Yussuf