Katsina – Over 1,310 communities in Katsina State have been certified as Open Defecation Free (ODF) following the successes recorded by the Sanitation, Hygiene and Water supply in Nigeria (SHAWN) project supported by the UNICEF.
Speaking during certificate presentation ceremony on Wednesday in Katsina, Gov. Aminu Masari urged the communities to continue to imbibe the culture of using the pit latrines and toilets.
He noted that open defecation causes diseases like cholera, diarrhoea as well as other water and environment related diseases.
“Air can easily spread diseases from the area where people practice open defecation. It also contaminates our water by polluting the underground water sources in our environment,’’ he said.
Masari urged traditional leaders to intensify efforts toward curtailing the ugly practice of open defecation in their domain.
Also speaking, the UNICEF Chief Field Officer, Madam Padmavathi Yedla, said that UNICEF and Katsina Government had spent N1billion on water and sanitation project in the state.
She said that N600 million was spent on the provision of water and sanitation facilities to the communities, while the remaining N400million was expanded on campaign for social change.
Yedla said that open defecation free status would assist in improving lives of children and women in those communities.
She urged people to educate their families on the principle of using toilet facilities.
“Each one of us has responsibility of ensuring survival of our children, using the sanitation facilities will assist to reduce mortality rate of children and women.
“We should also ensure that the children go to school,’’ she said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 1,310 communities were from the 11 local governments participating in SHAWN project in the state.
They included: Fasakri, Sandamu, Musawa, Bakori, Dustin-ma, Ingawa, Mai’adua, Batsari, Safana, Batagarawa and Kaita.