Environment
RUWASSA solicits Government Support To Tackle poor sanitation in Rivers state
Rivers state Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency( RUWASSA)has inaugurated The state Task Group On Sanitation( STGS ).
General Manager of the Agency,Mr Peter Thompson said the inauguration will facilitate the agency’s commitment towards monitoring and implementation of Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)programms in the state.
He said the agency is also working towards an open defecation free Rivers state.
Meanwhile The Rivers state Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency( RUWASSA) has solicited the support of the state government towards the implementation of WASH programs in the rural areas.
General Manager of the Agency Mr Peter Thompson said this in an address at an event to mark this year’s World Toilet Day in Port Harcourt.
He said the appeal has become necessary inview of the need to translate the visionary goal of the government in the WASH sector to reality.
Thompson said while, it is the function of the Ministry of Water Resources of and Rural Development to provide the policy direction and strategic framework,it is however the core mandate of RUWASSA to translate the visionary goal of water sanitation and hygiene for all into functional water points.
“Most critically for today’s discussion, safe toilets in households, markets schools and public places across Rivers state
“We are the engineers who design the systems, the community Mobilizers who foster ownership, the hygiene promoters who drive behavioural change and the first responders to sanitation related public health crisis
“Our role is not just to build, but to transform”he said.
He acknowledged the challenges posed by poor sanitation in the state noting,,”the sanitation challenges we confront in Rivers state are stark and sobering.
“A structure that discharges faeces directly into the environment is not toilet, it is a public health hazard in disguise a betrayal of the very purpose it is meant to serve
“This is not theoretical concept for us at the Rivers state Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency;it is a daily operational reality we grapple with
“We have seen with our eyes the well intentioned but tragically flawed projects that dots community waterfronts , masquerading as toilets
“We have witnessed the fake toilets perpetuate, this is the core challenge we must collectively address, ensuring that every single toilet in Rivers state provide 100 percent containment and safe treatment of faeces ” he said
Thompson further described as eyesore”the pervasive phenomen of building toilets that perpetuate, rather than prevent open defecation in our waterfront Communities “adding “it is a symptomatic failure on two critical fronts and Rivers state Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency accept its share of the responsibility for not having overcome it yet”
He however said his agency is determined to close the gap ,as it is their duty to research,identify, pilot and promote context specific, appropriate sanitation technologies that are both effective and environmentally safe
“This is a mission we are pursuing with vigour through our strategic partnership with the Centre for water and sanitation studies at the Rivers state university and other specialized academic institutions to develop a portfolio of Rivers state Appropriate Sanitation Technology”he said.
By: John Bibor