Lagos and poor sanitary standards

OPEN defecation is a practice whereby people defecate in spaces not meant for that purpose unmindful of its unhealthy and unhygienic repercussions. From Agege to Apapa, Epe to Badia, Ikorodu to Badagry and other such communities in the state, it is common to see people on the highways disembarking from their cars to defecate openly along the road. Walking along the railroad tracks even gives one more panoramic view of the sights as people- irrespective of gender engage in mass open defecation. On the streets, behind bushes, in groves of trees, in rivers or streams, inside gutters, dump sites, motor parks, markets and other open spaces, people use faeces to litter the environment with impunity. Even some of the fanciest areas are not exempted. Mostly, residents of populated areas built in the classic tenement model are guilty of the practice. In such places, poor sanitary condition reigns supreme. Hence, it is not out of place to see houses with more than thirty tenants without or with a single latrine. Many buildings have latrines that are unusable or overfilled and had to be abandoned. In such a situation, people resort to open defecation. Unfortunately, it seems only few people appreciate the extent of this problem which could degenerate into an epidemic if not really tackled. It is a fact that many deadly diseases currently ravaging the world are linked to open defecation and other such poor sanitary practice. It triggers death, contaminates food, transmits skin diseases, causes respiratory diseases, eye problems, scabies, intestinal parasites resulting in kidney damage, tuberculosis and diarrhea related diseases. A study has it that open defecation can cause mental and cognitive stunting among young. Many people do not  understand that the quality of lives as human beings is substantially a reflection of the quality of the environment which we inhabit. Many still do not comprehend that open defecation creates a host of problems that exceed mere aesthetic. Besides the  health implication, open defecation also affects the economy. A 2012 World Bank report reveals that Nigeria loses N455 billion annually due to poor sanitation. This is 1.3 per cent of the national GDP. It should also be understood that an individual produces 200 grammes of faeces every day. One can imagine the volume of faeces that goes into the river and those that end up in our source of water and food when there is flooding. According to World Health Organization,WHO, a gramme of faeces of an infected person can have up to 10,000,000 viruses, 1,000,000 bacteria and 1000 parasite cyst and 100 parasite eggs. This should be a source of worry to all. The next question is what should be done? In Lagos, open defecation is against the law. But it is not enough to enact a law and say people should stop defecating in the open without sufficiently changing their mentality. The government needs more campaigns to enlighten the populace about the danger of open defecation as a lot of people are still ignorant of the UN supported Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) operational  in the state since 2013 which places the burden on communities to take responsibility for the sanitation of their environment. Perhaps, the campaign should not be left for the government alone. The Media, artists, comedians, religious bodies and civil society groups, etc should be actively involved. They could take a cue from popular musician, Lagbaja (the masked one), who once called on those who defecate openly in the city to return to their villages. And in a humorous tone, he advised that they can then defecate right in front of their houses in the village. “To ba de abule yin, ma tie lo si salanga, se ni ko fa siwaju agbo ile yin,”  (When you get to your village, you can defecate in front of your house). It is also important for government agencies saddled with the responsibility of enforcing sanitation laws in the state to be alive to their responsibilities. In countries such as Nepal where only about 46 percent of the population have access to toilets, the people have adopted a name and shame approach where offenders’ names are pasted in the community centre. This method though has not stopped the practice but it has nonetheless been effective. Can Lagos borrow this unique model? The State government, especially, at the local government level should also make arrangement to provide more public toilets at the grassroots. This could be done in partnership with private investors. Above all, the state government should explore new strategies to further impress on Lagosians on the imperative of living a dignified life through proper sanitation. In a world where new communicable diseases are breaking out with reckless abandon, Lagosians cannot afford to embrace poor sanitary habit. Considering the state’s population figure, a carefree attitude towards personal and environmental hygiene is not a wise path to tread. Mr.Alao Diyaolu, an environmental protection campaigner, wrote from Lagos.