•Open defecation
The challenges in gaining Open Defecation Free status in Ebonyi State has been identified to include hard-to-change attitude, lack of commitment on the part of government and other stakeholders.
One of the respondents who spoke to our correspondent said that though there had been series of enlightenment programmes tailored to end open defecation, some people in his Ikwo community in Ikwo Local Government Area of the state believe that defecation in the open farm land is provision of fertility for the soil, reports Saturday Independent.
Mr. Ewa Alefia, the respondent said that waste from their animals, kitchens are deliberately conserved and later deposited at their farm lands, “So, why and what is wrong directly depositing our shit in the farm lands”.
Alefia, a farmer explained that he had been sufficiently informed about the dangers of open defecation, especially as it concerns health, “But my brother, the palm wine tappers who leave their houses as early as 5.00 am won’t just turn back home to shit when he has the comfort of doing it in the bush there”.
He noted that the cases of cholera outbreak in the area are attributable to open defecation, “Some of us know about that, but most others don’t know, so I think there is more need for provision of sanitary services, more so, enlightenment on attitudinal change about open defecation and sanitation.
Another respondent, Mrs Euphemia Ogah said that apart from the bad attitude of defecating in the open, none availability of sanitary services, including toilets account for the open defecation in the area.
She called on local government authorities to make mandatory that every household should have toilet facilities, and ban defecation in the river banks.
The WASH Officer in the State, Engineer Joseph Agwu, EBRUWASA General Manager explained that the story of Ebonyi State sanitation status is going up and down.
He said that presently, the situation is bad, “or better put, alarming. Earlier, we were ranking high but due to negligence on the part the federal government. The present state government is trying with provision of water.”
Agwu noted that the recent cholera outbreak in the state is as a result of failures in the sanitation services.
“The state government is working hard to put into effective use the mega Oferekpe water facility. But the state government cannot do it alone, we need interventions from the federal government and donor agencies”, he stated.
