Agency Warns Residents Against Open Defecation

The Enugu State
Waste Management Authority (ESWAMA), says it will arrest and prosecute persons who indulge in open defecation in the state capital.
The authority’s Managing Director, Mr Dom Okonkwo, made the disclosure in an interview with newsmen on World Toilet Day in Enugu recently.
Okonkwo said some residents in the state defecated indiscriminately in public and private places, pointing out that this was common in recreation parks, motor parks, markets and schools.
He said such behaviour posed serious health challenges to the people, adding that “anybody found stooling or urinating in public will be arrested and prosecuted.
“The government has built public toilets in parks, markets and schools, yet people prefer to defecate in the open.
“There are recorded cases of cholera in some parts of the country and we do not want to experience it here in Enugu.
“The agency is doing everything possible to make Enugu the cleanest state in the country and we will attain it,’’ he said.
The managing director appealed to landlords in the state to provide toilet facilities in their buildings as well as evacuate their septic tanks when filled.
He said the agency would partner with some organisations, including the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to sensitise the public on dangers of open defecation.
Our correspondent  reports that the United Nations marks World Toilet Day on November 19 of every year.