Following growing concerns that unhealthy practices are capable of causing an outbreak of epidemic in Katsina State, Governor Aminu Bello Masari recently declared a ban on open defecation. At a world press conference in Katsina, Masari explained that the ban on open defecation was necessitated by the need to reduce the high rate of water-borne diseases across the 34 local government areas in the state.
In the governor’s declaration, which was sequel to a similar one made by President Muhammadu Buhari on November 7, he said: “Government had made progress within a short, medium and long term plans to address the WASH service delivery across the state. More than 3,500 hand pump boreholes, 100 solar motorised boreholes, and over 450 latrines were constructed in communities, primary schools, health facilities and market places across rural communities in the state.
“Despite these modest achievements recorded in the WASH sector, there was still need to make this pronouncement in view of the challenges posed by water-borne diseases in the state.”
The Governor further reiterated the various steps undertaken by the state government to ensure stable water supply in the state including repairs, redesigning and rehabilitation of water infrastructure, promising to ensure access to potable water by the citizens of the state.
He further directed the Ministry of Water Resources to establish an Inter-Ministerial Steering Committee on WASH, which he said he would personally chair.
He assured donor partners and other funding agencies of continued government partnership to sustain the heights already attained by the state in the management of sanitation and hygiene.
The Nation investigation in 26 of the 34 local government areas the state revealed a massive campaign against open defecation spearheaded by Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA).
Ahmed Sani, a community health extension worker and officer in charge of Maternity and Child Health Clinic, Kakarku village in Sandamu Local Government Area, first blew the lead on the silent health care revolution that is going round several rural communities in Katsina State when he told our correspondent in an exclusive interview that there is a remarkable decline in reported cases of water borne diseases due to improved water distribution, sanitation as well as other hygienic practices including abhorrence of open defecation and other unhealthy practices in schools and the rural communities
He said: “Diseases like diarrhea, for instance, between 2016 and 2019 have reduced considerably from 572 cases to 189; typhoid from 336 to 63 and cholera from 557 to 89.”
“Similar decline is also witnessed in other diseases like dysentery, rashes, gastroenteritis and pneumonia. All through most of our rural areas, the activities of RUWASSA and other health care delivery agencies have brought about cleaner environment and an improved community health.”
Adding her voice to the debate on improved water sanitation, Hafisat Isa, the Vice Chairman of Watchcom, a creation of RUWASSA under the SHAWN Health Education Project supported by donor partners in Karkaku village, Sandamu Local Government Area, said the group always contributes a token to maintain public latrines for visitors, while in schools, children are taught about hygienic practices.
She added that the Watchcom group enforces discipline among villagers and fines anyone found guilty of open defecation. She thanked the various sanitation agencies, particularly RUWASA and Charanrai Foundation for rehabilitating broken down water boreholes at Unqwa Magaji area
The community head of Karkaku, Muktar Magaji, while commending the state government, RUWASSA and other donor agencies, condemned open defecation and other unhygienic practices, saying they breed water borne diseases and cholera.
He added that the excellent health enjoyed by the residents of the area at present could be attributed to strict compliance with the counsel received from health workers and donor agencies who usually visit the area.
He said: “My community has been enjoying clean water supply from the hand pumps and the borehole installed for us since 2013. Also, the children are being trained on the dangers of open defecation. Even in schools, they are properly guided on hand washing and ensuring clean environment even when patronising toilets and conveniences.”
For Imam Abubakar Muktar, the Chief Imam of Gazari village in Sabwa Local Government Area, the community needed more public toilets and solar energy-powered water supply, because of the increase in the number of visitors to the village.
Asamau Abubakar from Zango village in Daura Local Government Area also told The Nation that women and primary school children in the area were mobilised on the dangers of open defecation and taught about other health related issues like community hygiene and sanitation.
She also indicated her membership of a hygiene club as volunteer.
She said: “We usually go round homes to sensitise our fellow women and children on the dangers of open defecation. Even first time visitors to the village are encouraged to use public latrines constructed for strangers with help from RUWASSA
Ministry of Health appraises statu
Also commenting on improved sanitation and hygiene in most rural communities in Katsina State, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr Kabir Mustapha, attributed the feat not only to RUWASSA but to what he called multi-sect oral approach undertaken by the state government in addressing emerging health care challenges in the state, including focusing on improved environment, ensuring clean water supply and rural sanitation
He said: Water is key. About 90 per cent of the activities in the rural areas revolve around water supply, because clean water supply ensures hygiene through hand washing and other health related activities.
“Health education, advocacy campaigns and lots of sensitization on community health activities have helped in creating the needed awareness. Again, government’s direct, purposeful and proactive approach, like the appointment of disease notification officers who immediately swung into action also contributed in ensuring timely intervention and reduction in the prevalent diseases.”
The Permanent Secretary further assured on the sustainability of the achievement through the basic health provident fund and other programs like the Save One Million Children and primary health care activities especially in the rural areas
The Executive Director of RUWASSA, Engr Aminu Dayyabu Safana, said the availability of water, especially in the rural areas, is having a serious positive impact on the lives of the people in different ways.
He said: “Provision of water is necessary, and it must be clean, purified and free from any contamination to make it safe for drinking and other domestic purposes.
“Records have shown that the outbreak of water borne diseases in the past, such as cholera, gastroenteritis, typhoid fever, pneumonia, skin rashes and other related diseases, were all connected to water contamination resulting from lack of access to potable water.”
He said it is imperative for responsible governments and all stakeholders to accord priority to provision of potable water for the general populace.
New facilities in schools
The Nation found that about 240 primary schools across the state were provided with hand pumps while 1,440 two-compartment VIP latrines for male and female pupils were also constructed to improve learning atmosphere and convenience for the pupils.
Abubakar Abdullahi, the Public Relations Officer of RUWASSA, disclosed that under improved water supply and sanitation scheme, benefitting communities were sensitised through the formation of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Committee (WASHCOM) to serve as a platform through which every community would take over the operation and maintenance of its facility upon completion and guard against open defecation.
He said: “No doubt, the community ownership concept has contributed in no small measure in sustaining the water projects. Records have shown that many benefitting communities have continued to ensure functionality of their water points as they waste no time effecting their repairs whenever such facilities are faulty.”
The Sanitation, Hygiene and Water in Nigeria (SHAWN) Project, created by RUWASSA, was primarily saddled with attaining effective service delivery towards achieving hundred per cent coverage in the area of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in the communities.
The basic goal of the project is to reduce water related diseases and improve health conditions through accelerated and sustainable progress in safe excreta disposal, adoption of basic hygiene practices, including effective hand washing at critical times, and consumption of safe water in the rural communities.
As confirmed by the Executive Director during the interview, the SHAWN project is a collaboration between the Federal Government of Nigeria and the United Nation’s Children Fund (UNICEF) with funding from the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID), with Katsina State being among the selected states in the federation to benefit from the programme which started in the year 2010
Three local government areas of Bakori, Kaita and Mai’adua, piloted the project in the first phase, involving counterpart funding between the development partners, the state and local governments, which encouraged the provision of hand pump and motorized boreholes in various communities, as well as construction of VIP latrines in various primary schools across the benefitting local government areas. The project has now spread to all the rural communities.
There was also the mobilization and sensitization of the beneficiaries under a concept called Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) under which the communities are guided to spear head and lead the process by themselves for their own benefit.
The main focus under the concept is sensitizing the communities to realizing the dangers associated with improper sanitation and hygiene practices whereby they take decisions to change their negative behavior through avoidance of defecating in the open, construction and effective usage of household latrines, as well as observance of personal and environmental hygiene.
The impact recorded by the project in the various benefitting communities under phase one, coupled with the commitment of the state administration in the area of payment of counterpart funding for the effective implementation of the project, resulted in the allocation of three more local government areas, and in the year 2012, Dutsinma, Faskari and Sandamu LGAs came on board, making a total of six benefitting LGAs.
Investigation also revealed that as the project continued to be successfully implemented, the benefits at the same time continued to manifest glaringly as hundreds of communities enjoyed water, sanitation and hygiene facilities in various ways. Consequently, the result has shown great impact in terms of increased access to safe water, improved sanitation and hygiene, in addition to the remarkable achievement recorded in school enrolment and retention among primary school pupils.
Community-led total sanitation under the SHAWN project has recorded tremendous success with regard to the stoppage of open defecation among several communities in Katsina State. Last year alone, a celebration was conducted in which the state governor presented certificates to hundreds of communities who attained Open Defecation Free (ODF) status across the SHAWN LGAs.
Most rural communities in the state have attained freedom from open defecation status with the benefit of enjoying excellent health status as well as obtaining the requisite health certificates.
The bold steps taken by the rural communities in Katsina by waging war against open defecation has contributed immensely in reducing sanitation and hygiene related diseases and generally improved their living conditions.
