Undoubtedly, bodily waste is one of the most fundamental things that we all have in common. How its disposal is managed is an issue that has modestly attracted global attention. In 2013, the UN officially named November 19 as World Toilet Day to recognise the importance of sanitation. Unfortunately, reports have shown that the ‘silent’ sanitation crisis is a ticking time bomb which affects over 2.5 billion people – one in three of the world’s population – who do not have access to safe, clean or private toilet.
Ironically, more people in the world have access to a mobile phone than a toilet. Many are left with no choice but to face the indignity of going to defecate in the open, where they are exposed to disease and vulnerable to harassment and even attack. These gender sensitive sanitation issues fuelled the theme for 2014 World Toilet Day- “Equality and Dignity.”
According to a joint UNICEF and World Health Organisation’s report released during the 2013 World Toilet Day, Nigeria was amongst the top five countries in the world with the largest number of people defecating in the open. Nearly 7 in 10 women in Nigeria have no access to a safe toilet, threatening their health and exposing them to shame, fear and even violence.
This means that on this year’s World Toilet Day, holding today, 19 November, 54 million Nigerian women and girls lack safe and adequate sanitation and 17 million of those do not have a toilet at all.
Experts say lack of decent sanitation also affects productivity and livelihoods. Figures released by WaterAid showed that women and girls living in Nigeria without toilet facilities spend 3.1 billion hours each year finding a place to go to toilet in the open.
Poor hygiene has serious implications on health. Every year, over 85,000 mothers in Nigeria lose a child to diarrhoea diseases caused by a lack of adequate sanitation and clean water.
However, in a bid to end open defecation which is no joke and must be taken with all the seriousness it deserves, IL Bagno has enjoined corporate bodies and well meaning individuals to help solve sanitation issues in Nigeria.
In a message to mark this year’s World Toilet Day, IL Bagno noted that everybody can make a difference if they decide to renovate or build toilet facilities in public schools, health care facilities, NYSC camps, market places and even public toilets in residential locations where not available.
IL Bagno has donated toilet facilities to Red Cross Society, Public primary schools, a public club and a federal university in Nigeria all within the last three years.
VANGUARD
No comments:
Post a Comment