By Mamman Mohammed
Damaturu – The Yobe Government has constructed 250 toilets and bathrooms in each of the three Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in Damaturu , the state capital.
Alhaji Mohammed Bukar, General Manager, Yobe Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA) told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Damaturu that the toilets were constructed in Pompomari, Kukareta, and Muhammadu Gombe farm camps.
Bukar said that the projects were embarked upon to check open defecation and promote personal hygiene in the camps.u.
He also said that government and development partners constructed and rehabilitated over 120 water facilities and 450 components of VIP latrines to facilitate resettlement and reconstruction of communities destroyed by insurgency.
“UNICEF also constructed 159 toilet facilities in reclaimed communities in Gujba and Gulani local government areas and, 25 others at Kukareta camp,”he said.
Bukar said the water and sanitation facilities were constructed to provide the returnee communities with safe water and toilet facilities to check open defecation.
According to the manager, “the construction and rehabilitation of water facilities became imperative because, the existing facilities were vandalised by insurgents and the need for safe water was necessary for the resettlement and reconstruction process,
“The state government rehabilitated several water facilities in Katarko, Buni Gari and other villages,“he said.
He that UNICEF rehabilitated nine boreholes and converted them from motorised to solar powered in Gujba Local Government Area and constructed four others in Kukareta, Kasaisa and Pompomari IDP camp.
The manager also said the International Committee for Red Cross (ICRC) also constructed two boreholes in Gambir and Malumti villages in Damaturu local government area.
“The Action Against Hunger constructed 10 boreholes and rehabilitated 20 others while, Medicine Sen Frontiers (MSF) constructed boreholes at the Maternal and Child Centre in Damaturu and the Kukareta self established camp.
“CARITAS, a Catholic based organisation also built and rehabilitated 28 water and sanitation facilities in the returning communities” he said.
The manager said “the joint efforts of the Federal, Yobe government and humanitarian agencies had substantially recovered water and sanitation facilities in communities affected by the insurgency to promote the resettlement process.”
