As part of efforts to reduce flood impacts, a non-profit organization, the Centre for Environmental Sustainability and Development Awareness (CESDA), has partnered with the Kuje Area Council to promote environmental hygiene.
Speaking during a day workshop at the weekend in the Council town hall in Abuja, CESDA’s Executive Director, Olushola Babalola, identified the need to prioritise environmental hygiene as the nation draws close to heavy precipitations.
Flood impacts, he noted, have become a reoccurring incident due to poor management of the environment. Babalola, represented by Racheal Obi, the programme officer, said the natural occurrence could cause health crises, social instability and displacements if not well managed; thus, need for public sensitization.
Earlier, the Director of Environment, Kuje Area Council, Timothy Nwana, said the Council was doing a lot in terms of awareness creation and public hygiene to protect people against flooding in the Council.
He disclosed that to prevent flood impacts; the administration had to set up a task force to prevent the dumping of wastes in drainages. He added that the existing drainages clogged with wastes were also sanitised to ensure easy water flow.
Regarding Water, Sanitation (WASH) and environmental hygiene, the Council acknowledged the adverse impacts of open defecation and an untidy environment. Nwana said it could spike diarrhoea, and dysentery, among other related diseases among the people.
“Prevention is better than cure. Otherwise, people may need to spend scarce resources in hospitals. And that is why we have been creating public awareness on proper environmental hygiene.”
To this end, he announced the FCT administration had commenced the construction of public toilets in strategically populated places such as markets, motor parks, and village squares, to mention but a few.
Present at the workshop were relevant government officials, representatives of traditional rulers and the youths.
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