Ensure everyone has access to eco friendly sanitary facilities -Barr.Ikeazor

By Mashe Umaru Gwamna

The Minister of State Environment,Barr. Sharon Ikeazor, stressed the need for everyone to have access to eco-friendly sanitary facilities.
Ikeazor made the revelation recently at the commemoration of 2019 world Toilet Day in Abuja .
She stated that the theme for 2019 commemoration is “Toilet For All”focuses on leaving no one behind as the world strives to achieved access to universal sanitation.
According to her:this year’s Toilet Day draws attention to the fact that, billions of peoples that do not have access to toilet must be carried along because human faeces on a massive scale that is presently not captured or treated .
Others are contaminated waters bodies and land that sustains human life and ecosystem, there by turning out environment into an open sewer .
She said the day also focuses on reawaken societal consciousness on the importance of having eco friendly sanitary facilities in every household and ensuring proper management of sewage .
“Today an estimated 4.7million of our citizens live without improved toilet and many practice open defection using the bush and water bodies as their facilities as where they exist, they are either not functioning , misused”.
On sanitation crisis, she said if allow to continue this will undermine the overarching ambition of 2030 agenda of build safe,more resilient societies on a healthy planet while the date deadline is just 11years to achieved the sustainable Development Goal(SDG)6.
To achieved that,the minister emphasized the need “to draw attention of people that are left behind without sanitation, raise awareness and inspiring actions to tackle global crisis, end open defecation and ensue that toilets construction,operation use and management are ecosystem friendly”,Barr. Ikeazor stated.
While minister also challenged all stakeholders on Environment particularly sanitation at national, state and local governments levels not only to do talking but take practical steps of achieving eco friendly sanitary facilities .
Earlier, Director Pollution Control and Environment Health, Charles Ikeah said that the celebrations focuses on the reawakening of societal consciousness of everyone on the importance of inaccessibly to having a safe toilet by every house hold .
He said “sanitation, like education and health is a fundamental building block in the fight against national poverty and preventable diseases”.
“ we are yet to achieved much for our country in terms of ensuring peoples have access to basic sanitation “