WORLD TOILET DAY 2021.

 

The United Nations General Assembly through resolution (A/RES/67/291) declared 19th November every year as World Toilet Day, and this year 2021 is not an exception for every advocate of WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) professionals and civil society actors working in this thematic area all over the world are joining voices together in solidarity on this day to raise the much needed global awareness on toilets, sanitation and personal hygiene. Toilet facilities are very key important component of a building and also very necessary department for man in regards to performing the inevitable call of human nature (excretion). Every living man excretes and passes out waste products (faeces) as part of the human body metabolism process for survival. This important aspect of human function is central to human existence because without excretion of faeces, no living soul can survive and function efficiently and effectively in carrying out his or her daily activities. Hence the facilities for the usage and passage of waste products (faeces) by man is very key and should not be overlooked by the government authorities concerned and human beings alike. In underdeveloped and developing countries of the world, poor toilet facilities are more prevalent in low-income societies with a large number of poor people and households being unable to build good toilet facilities in their homes due to poverty, and these groups of people are more vulnerable and more likely to contact diseases because of poor hygiene practices, vulnerability and open defecations as a result of lack of access to decent toilet facilities.

In Nigeria, studies have shown that over 100,000 children under the age of 5 die every year due to water and sanitation related diseases like diarrhoea, dysentery and cholera. Good hygiene can prevent diarrhoea, dysentery and cholera, slows down the spread of fatal contagious diseases like corona virus and Ebola. Therefore the importance of sustained hygiene practices like hand washing with soap and water and the use of clean toilets at all times should be encouraged. The issue of poor toilet facilities has poses great challenges to most inhabitants and dwellers in communities around the world. Most residential houses in urban slums, ghettos and rural communities around the world do not have access to decent toilet facilities. Educational institutions, government establishments and public places are not left out in this. 

In most poorer countries of the world, public toilet facilities are still lacking. In some cases the availability of these toilet facilities in most homes and public places are constructed on makeshift buildings with very unhealthy and unhygienic conditions. Hence the practice of open defecation by the inhabitants of these settlements are the order of the day. In educational settings, studies have shown that lack of decent toilet facilities can significantly drop girl-child school turnout and enrollment in poorer countries of the world.

Taking Nigeria as a typical example, millions of people live without access to clean water, decent toilets and hygienes. Ideally, access to water, sanitation and hygiene are human rights and crucial for good outcomes in health, nutrition, education, gender, equality, livelihoods and for the socio-economic development of a country. According to (WASHNORM,2018) in Nigeria, about 55 million people still do not have access to clean water supply services, 150 million people lack hand washing facilities with soap, 47 million people practice open defecation and 110 million people lack decent toilets. This is a very serious national problems that needs urgent attention and interventions by the Nigerian government and relevant stakeholders if we really want to achieve goal 6 (Clean water and sanitation) of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) by 2030 in Nigeria.

According to the latest WHO/UNICEF joint monitoring programme (JMP) report, progress on sanitation and hygiene is badly off track. For the 3.6 billion people currently without safely managed sanitation, it's clear there will be no sustainable future without toilets. Governments must work four times faster and ensure toilets for all by 2030. In the state of world's sanitation report, WHO and UNICEF are calling on government and their partners to urgently transform sanitation for better health, environments, economies and societies.

In conclusion, as a very strong advocate of WASH and goal 6 (clean water and sanitation) of the sustainable development goals (SDGs), l call on all health practitioners, civil society actors and WASH advocates from all over the world to join hands together to take actions both online and offline and amplify their voices to sensitize citizens most especially the vulnerables in rural communities and in urban slums on the dangers of open defecations to humanity and the environment. And also to urge government authorities, global leaders and duty bearers to build enough public toilets for public use to stem the tide of open defecations and water related diseases all over the world as we mark today's world toilet day.

DID YOU KNOW THAT ?

- 3.6 billion people live without access to a safe toilet.

 Source: (WHO/UNICEF 2021).

- Groundwater accounts for approximately 99% of all liquid freshwater on earth. 

Source: (UNWater 2022).

- Groundwater provides half of all water withdrawn for domestic use, including the drinking water for the vast majority of the rural population.

Source: (UNWater 2022).

- Globally, at least 2 billion people use a drinking water source contaminated with faeces.

Source: (WHO 2019).

- Everyday, over 800 children under age five years old die from diarrhoea linked to unsafe water, sanitation and poor hygiene.

Source: (UNICEF 2021).

- No toilet means that drinking water is unsafe, which increase the risk of cholera, disease and decrease life expectancy.

- Up to 4 million people around the world get cholera each year, from not having access to a safe toilet.

- An average person visits the toilet 2500 times a year.

 

 #GlobalGoals #SDGs #SDG6.                    #WorldToiletDay2021 #ValuingToilets #Wateraidnigeria #Wateraid #UNWater #ECOWAS #AU #UNDP #UNICEF #CYPLP #unnigeria #euinnigeria  #UN.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Comrade Enobong Ekwere is a social influencer, blogger, vlogger, human rights activist, SDGs advocate and a global citizen. He is the program manager of children and young people living for peace (CYPLP) Nigeria, a youth focused, volunteer of experts and a think-tank non-governmental organization based in Kaduna state, Nigeria. He can be reached via:

 Tel/WhatsApp: +2347082558952  

Email: julyenobong2020@gmail.com

            : enobongekwere825@gmail.com

Website: www.cyplp.net.ng