Ogun State - OGSG Lauded for Stimulating Clean Environment at the Rural Communities

[OgunState]

 

The Ogun State Government has been given a pat on the back for embracing the Community Approaches to Total Sanitation Interventions (CATSI) which had engendered clean environment in the State, particularly in the rural areas.     CATSI is an initiative of the United Nations Children Education Fund UNICEF which among other things, denounce open defecation and encourage the use of latrines in the rural areas. UNICEF’s Consultant on Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Mr. Bisi Agberemi gave this commendation today in Abeokuta at a stakeholders’ forum on the CATSI initiative, where indices for selecting a Local Government in the State for maintaining sanitation activities through the Open Defecation-Free Policy (OPFP) were highlighted.  Agberemi indicated that following the verifiable efforts of the State Government to promote a clean environment, Ogun and one other State in the Federation were selected to be the beneficiaries of the UNICEF-supported OPFP programme through which a modern latrine facility would be built for the use of the people especially, school children.     The Consultant submitted that with such facility in place, the possibility of having communicable diseases like cholera and diarrhoea would be greatly reduced, environmental condition improved upon and ultimately, the living standard of children in the benefitting community would be enhanced. He called for the logistic support of both the State and Local Government Councils in the State for the successful take off the project, saying that with necessary assistance from relevant stakeholders, the project might be extended to more local government areas in the State. Also speaking, the Project Manager, Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWATSAN), Engr. Tokunbo Sonde pledged that his agency would realign its activities and budget to suit the concept of the project. Engr Sonde also called for the repositioning of the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene unit of local government areas so that they could make meaningful impact in the environmental conditions of communities in them.

Via: Ogun State Government - Official Press Release