Enugu gov’s wife speaks against open defecation, poor sanitation
Mrs. Ugwuanyi who made the call during the end of the
two-day inception workshop for the development of the state’s roadmap for the
attainment of the “Open Defecation Free, ODF,” goal by 2025, stressed that
sanitation is critical to health and human capital as well as economic growth.
The workshop was organized by the Enugu State Ministry of
Water Resources, the state’s Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency, ENRUWASSA
and Mrs Ugwuanyi’s pet project, Ugo’s Touch of Life Foundation, U-TOLF, in
collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF.
Speaking further, the Enugu governor’s wife added that open
defecation and poor sanitation pollute the environment and cause health
problems, disclosing that high level of open defecation is linked to high child
mortality, poor nutrition, among others.
According to her, “this limits the child’s ability to absorb
nutrients – no matter how much food they eat. A malnourished child does not
grow up to be healthy or a productive child. Girls are exposed to dangers, no
privacy for their sanitation needs; sometimes they are raped or kidnapped. For
adults, it means less income when they cannot work and more expenses for
medications”.
Mrs. Ugwuanyi therefore harped on the urgent need to
commence the development of the state’s open defecation strategy “by complying
with certain conditions laid down by the Federal Government such as the
context, the vision, the strategies, the actions, targets and the time-lines”.
She said that improving sanitation in the state is all about
investing in the people and transforming lives, pointing out that, in achieving
this, “healthier children will become healthier adults who contribute more to
the economy and the society”.
Her words: “People defecate in the open where sanitation
infrastructure and services are not available; others because of their
traditional practices. This practice is not limited to rural areas, but urban
centres as well.
“Strengthening the sanitation value-chain is critical for
sustainability, as toilets need to be maintained and their by-product adequately
managed. Global experience has shown that an emerging sanitation eco-system
emerges from improved sanitation, which also creates opportunities to develop
the local economy”.
Declaring the workshop closed, the Enugu governor’s wife appreciated UNICEF, MoWR, ENRUWASSA and U-TOLF for organizing the timely event and commended the state government for its role, as well as the inauguration of the State Emergency Action Steering Committee.
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