Toro LG to criminalise open defecation
Geji said the enactment of the bye-law has become inevitable to check incidents of open defecation in gutters, drainages, running streams,
Open defecation
Toro Local Government Council is working on a bye-law to criminalise open defecation and make it mandatory for landlords, house-owners and owners of public and business premises to provide toilets and handwashing facilities within their domain.
The Executive Chairman of the Council, Alhaji Adamu Danyaro Geji, disclosed this during a stakeholders meeting in Toro attended by traditional rulers, health and education personnel as well as representatives of UNICEF and the State Rural Water Supply Agency (RUWASA).
Geji said the enactment of the bye-law has become inevitable to check incidents of open defecation in gutters, drainages, running streams, bushes, fields and many open spaces in the area.
The chairman implored the organisations to scale up their assistance to the council in view of increasing demand for basic social services following the influx of tens of thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs).
He commended UNICEF for its numerous support to the council.
The spokesperson of UNICEF, Abdulsalam Abdullahi, said 230 communities out of 1151 that have water, sanitation and hygiene committees (WASHCOM) would be visited during the validation of open defecation free exercise.
He appealed to the council to expedite action in enacting the bye-law as this would also ensure that community’s that have attained the status in do not revert to their old habit.