Ochekpe commissions sanitation facilities in Chikun LGA

As part of the social responsibility of the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and its agencies, the National Water Resources Institute, Kaduna in collaboration with the Japanese International Corporation Agency (JICA) has constructed and commissioned fifty four latrine toilets and two boreholes in Anguwan  Bagudu and Karuga villages in the Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna to scale up water and sanitation coverage.
 
The Minister of Water Resources, Sarah Reng Ochekpe who commissioned the projects on Wednesday 11th of December, 2013 said that the projects were executed by the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Centre (RWSSC) of the National Water Resources Institute.
 
“The National Water Resources Institute being a research and training institute has the mandate to undertake pilot projects on community sanitation and hygiene, especially with the establishment of the Rural Water and Sanitation Centre (RWSSC). Adding, two staff members of NWRI were involved in the West African sub-regional and national trainings in 2009 and 2010 in Oturkpo, Benue State organised by the originators of the programme.
 
Ochekpe further explained that the ‘Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) programme was considered as a viable technique for promoting sanitation and hygiene as well as enabling communities to attain open defecation free status. She averred that the  objectives of the project was to have model communities which the rural water supply and sanitation centre of NWRI can exhibit as good examples of best practice in rural water supply, sanitation and hygiene promotion. 
 
Other objectives of the programme, the Minister said was to implement full Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) experience as a pilot programme in Karuga and Anguwan Bagudu communities in Kaduna State and also to facilitate the establishment of Water and Sanitation Committees (WASHCOM) to own, operate and maintain the water and sanitation facilities in their communities.
 
She therefore, urged the communities to take ownership of the projects, make good use of it and encourage neighbouring communities to emulate them.
 
In his remarks, the Mai Ungwa of Bagudu Community in Gudansa village, Unguwa Yohana thanked the Minister for citing the projects in their community. He disclosed that though they initially found it difficult to use the latrine toilets, now they have become used to it. “Our children are no more infected with diseases such as cholera and other communicable diseases and this has reduced the amount of money we spend on hospital bills,” he said.
 
Also, the overall Village Head of Gudansa Auta Gani thanked the Minister for providing the boreholes for the community. He mentioned that for a long time past, they had pleaded with Chikun Local Government Headquarters to provide boreholes for them; but all of their efforts were in vain.  He assured the Minister that they would utilize the facilities judiciously and maintain them.
 
In Karuga, the Village Head, Tanko Jagaba thanked the Minister for providing latrine toilets and boreholes to the communities and also assured the Minister that the facilities would be protected.
 
A total of thirty latrine toilets were constructed in Karuga Village with one borehole; whilst twenty four latrine toilets were constructed in Unguwan Bagudu with one borehole.