FG partners stakeholders to check open defecation
The Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON) has inaugurated the National Mirror Committee of ISO/PC 305 and ISO on sustainable non-sewered sanitation system and community scale resource oriented sanitation treatment system. The ISO PC 305 highlights the efforts of International Standard Organization (ISO) project committee (PC) dedicated to the development of a standard solution to the […]
The Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON) has inaugurated the National Mirror Committee of ISO/PC 305 and ISO on sustainable non-sewered sanitation system and community scale resource oriented sanitation treatment system.
The ISO PC 305 highlights the efforts of International Standard Organization (ISO) project committee (PC) dedicated to the development of a standard solution to the issue of a sustainable and affordable sanitation that will alleviate the problem of open defecation.
The Director-General of SON, Mr. Osita Aboloma, represented by the Director of Standards, Mrs. Chinyere Egwuonwu at the inauguration said ISO committee 305 was to institutionalize standardization in the field of sanitation systems for organisations of all sizes and types, groups, networks, cities, countries and regions.
Prior to the inauguration, members of the committees cutting across public and private organizations, were elected with the Director of Environmental Services, Lagos State Ministry of Environment (sanitation), Dr. (Mrs.) Iyabo Phillips, emerging as the chairman.
The DG said as a mirror committee, they would be responsible for establishing Nigeria’s position on issues relating to the activities of the ISO PC 305 and ISO PC 318.
In addition as the technical committee, they will be responsible for adopting the ISO PC 305 and ISO PC 318 standards as national standards.
He said, “The purpose of the standardization work is to enable the development of standards along the sanitation system designed to address basic sanitation needs and promote economic, social and environmental sustainability through strategies that may include minimizing resource consumption and converting human waste to safe output and a standard on faecal sludge treatment units – energy independent, prefabricated, community-scale resource – recovery units – safety and performance”.
The DG charged the committee comprising environmentalists from various organizations and companies to put in place international best practices, rules and procedures in standardization.
Dr. (Mrs.) Phillips said the non-sewered sanitation system aligns with the policy of the state government to check open defecation which is a major cause of water-borne diseases.