IKOM– It’s been reported that over 100,000 children across the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory die yearly from Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) diseases. This staggering number ranks Nigeria among the countries with the highest mortality rates due to WASH-related.
The main culprit behind these deaths is the lack of access to improved water and sanitation facilities. In Nigeria, only 26.5% of the population uses improved drinking water sources and sanitation facilities. This leads to the spread of water-borne diseases like Diarrhea, Cholera, and Dysentery, which are major contributors to the high mortality rate.
With several government policies initiated to curb the menace of Open Defecation in Communities, only a few Local Government Areas have attained an “Open Defecation-free Status,” with Ikom LGA ranked 5th out of the total 774 LGAs in the Country.
With a strong will and desire to maintain this worthy status and enhance its performance for a better outcome, the Executive Chairman of Ikom Local Government Area, Hon. Pst. [Mrs.] Mercy Nsor, recently inaugurated the Ikom Sanitation Board to complement the efforts from the previous years.
According to her, the achievements recorded in the past years were through conscious commitments, which she urges those at the helm of affairs now to emulate and build upon.
She noted that her administration would provide access to portable drinking water to communities, build a centralized dump site for the evacuation of waste and possible recycling as well and enhance campaigns within the LGA to educate people on the importance of maintaining a clean environment.
In his response, the Chairman of the Ikom Sanitation Board, Mr. Victor Atu, assured the Chairman of the committee’s enablement in raising the bar and other achievements recorded before now.
He said they will continue to work in Synergy with other agencies of government as well as the private sector to drive home the objectives of the committee and the actualization of its set goals.
The committee has a mandate to ensure the timely evacuation of waste from the Ikom Main Market, working in tandem with the Ikom Urban Development Authority to ensure a clean and green Ikom, supervise the Monthly Sanitation exercise across the various Wards of Ikom LGA, and ensure monthly reportage of the activities of the Committee to the Supervisor for Environment who will in turn brief the Chairman at the end of every month.
