By Onwa Ekor
In a bid to strengthen sanitation standards while safeguarding public health, the Cross River House of Assembly has passed the Open Defecation Prohibition Bill.
The bill which is a legislative measure aimed at improving sanitation and public health, also seeks to outlaw open defecation in public places while promoting the use of proper toilet facilities across the State.
The House passed the bill after deliberating on the report of the House Committee on Water Resources and Sanitation, presented by its Chairman, Hon Kingsley Ntui, representing Etung State Constituency.
In his report, Ntui explained that approximately 47 million people practice Open defecation in the country, a practice which has severe health implications especially the spread of water borne diseases like Cholera, diarrhoea and typhoid.
The Lawmaker commended the State government’s efforts to ending Open Defecation and urged his colleagues to compliment these efforts in their various Constituencies.
“The State government, with support from organisations like UNICEF and SELF HELP AFRICA, has made efforts to address this issue, eight LGAs have been declared open defecation free.
“The key challenges towards this ODF status remains lack of sanitation infrastructure, limited access to clean water, poverty and awareness.
“To overcome these challenges, we must support this initiative by investing in this direction,” he argued.
In their separate contributions, lawmakers noted that the bill aligns with national and international initiatives to eradicate open defecation.
They noted that, the law would contribute greatly to improving environmental cleanliness and overall well-being of citizens.
Commending the Committee for its proactiveness, the Speaker, Rt. Hon Elvert Ayambem, assured that the passage of the bill would create a cleaner and healthier environment.
He stressed the Assembly’s commitment to strengthening sanitation standards and the wellbeing of the citizens through people oriented legislation.
