Open defecation: a looming epidemic threatening SADC’s existence

Lazarus Sauti

Open defecation, a practice still prevalent in countries within and across the Southern African Development Community, is a looming epidemic that is halting social and economic expansion in the region.

The practice, triggered by lack of proper sanitation, also contributes to the fact that a child dies every two and half minutes from preventable diarrhoreal diseases, according to the United Nations deputy-general, Jan Eliasson.

“Two billion people globally lack adequate sanitation, and one billion practice open defecation. Forlornly, a child dies every two and half minutes from preventable diarrhoreal diseases due to lack of proper sanitation,” he noted.

Open defecation also impacts vulnerable populations such as persons with disabilities as well as girls and women, who are more exposed to aggravation and sexual violence.

Eliasson also asserts that although everybody deserves the dignity of a safe and clean toilet, girls and women suffer most from the lack of these facilities, with girls often denied schooling because of a lack of toilets.

“Access to safe sanitation, good hygiene and clean water is a human right. Unfortunately, hundreds of millions of women today are denied access to those services. Girls are more likely to drop out of school if they do not have access to a safe and clean toilet.

“Further, women and girls risk harassment in addition to sexual abuse when trying to find somewhere to defecate in the open,” he affirmed.

Sharing same views, Dr. Chris W. Williams, Executive Director of Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council, a United Nations body devoted solely to the sanitation and hygiene needs of vulnerable and marginalised people around the world, said: “The challenge of open defecation is one of both equity on top of dignity, and very often of safety as well, particularly for women and girls.

“They have to wait until dark to relieve themselves, putting them in danger of harrassment and sexual attack.”

Gibson Marimanzi, a social development expert, is also of the view that open defecation mirrors underdevelopment in Southern Africa, and lack of safe and clean toilets in most communities is a major reason why girls do not continue with their education once they enter teenage years.

“Open defecation is a terrible practice with various consequences on human health, dignity as well as security of citizens, especially girls as they do not continue with their education once they enter puberty,” he said.

Marimanzi added that poor sanitation costs SADC member-states millions of dollars a year and impacts negatively not only on the economy, but on health, environment as well as education, conceptions strongly supported by Eliasson.

“Poor sanitation and water supply also result in economic losses estimated at USD260 billion annually in developing countries. When toilets and clean water are lacking in schools, girls often choose to stay home and miss classes. This negatively impacts their education and the transformation of any country,” noted Eliasson.

Accordingly, as noted by the United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon and his number two, Eliasson, ending open defecation brings immense benefits not only to the SADC region, but also to other developing states.

“Stopping open defecation generates substantial benefits for public health, the economy and the environment; and to end open defecation, we need to first break the silence,” they said.

The World Health Organisation, a specialised agency of the United Nations that is concerned with international public health, is of the same ideas, saying ending open defecation can help reduce stunting and diarrhea-related child mortality.

“Ending open defecation can reduce diarrhoeal diseases by a large percentage over and above lessening the adverse health impact of other disorders responsible for death as well as disease among children in developing states,” explained the World Health Organisation.

SADC member-states must, therefore, establish functional rural water and sanitation agencies that are well positioned to ensure that the target of eliminating open defecation in 2015 and ahead is attained.

Further, citizens should change their behaviours, cultural mind-sets as well as societal customs if the region is to effectively deal with the scourge of open defecation.

Eliasson agrees.

“Success at ending open defecation goes beyond infrastructure.

“It requires the understanding of behaviours, cultural attitudes and social norms,” he said, adding that communities must break taboos.

“For too long, open defecation, has been a forbidden subject.

“We must break taboos.

“As was the case for the word ‘toilets’ a few years ago, it is time to incorporate ‘open defecation’ in the political language and in the diplomatic discourse,” he explained.

Providing another dimension, Marimanzi urged government sectors along with generous development partners to work with communities, sensitising them about the importance of hygiene and dangers of open defecation.

“Developmental partners, civic organisations and media organisations, must equally rise to the occasion by ensuring that people are better enlightened on the dangers associated with open defecation,” he noted, adding that information and communication technologies need to be pillars of any strategy of ending open defecation if the region is to change the behaviour of citizens.

Dr Williams also believe that true collaboration is one of the best avenues to solve the sanitation crisis and end open defecation in the SADC region.

“To halt open defecation, communities need action from governments, other companies and non-governmental organisations. Government sectors and civic societies must, therefore, welcome the full involvement of private sector players in tackling these big issues,” he noted.

SADC nations must also develop a regional strategy for zero tolerance towards open defecations.

The strategy, according to Stancelous Mverechena, a research and development expert, should cover issues on research into technologies as well as subsidies and strategies for community led incremental sanitation.

“The regional strategy should give girls and women greater access to sanitation at home and in public places like schools, and to manage waste adequately,” he explained.

Like Mverechena, Marimanzi believes that governments in Southern Africa can urge communities to adopt community-led approaches so as to effectively discard the practice of open defecation.

He also said that with the aid of trained health workers, communities can successfully improve the sanitation in their own villages.

“Community-led approaches are proven methods to improve sanitation along with enhancing social cohesion and capacity for collective action. With the aid of trained health practitioners, communities can effectively improve cleanliness in their own villages,” asserted Marimanzi. 

More so, political leaders and decision makers in the health sector must recognise the importance of water, sanitation and hygiene, as well as commit to improving access for all those living without access to clean water and adequate sanitation.

Recently, a declaration on sanitation and hygiene was instigated for the World Earth Day.

Launched by the Global Poverty Project, an anti-poverty youth advocacy group, the declaration was signed by 44 influential women from global leadership, media and powerful organisations around the world.

Specifically, the declaration stipulates that the sustainable development goals must include targets and indicators aimed at: ensuring universal and sustainable access to improved water, sanitation and hygiene in every home, school and health facility; ending open defecation by 2030; reducing the amount of untreated faecal waste released into the environment; and linking water, sanitation and hygiene access to outcomes in related areas, such as universal health coverage, reduced child mortality and increased gender equality and women’s empowerment.

SADC member-states must work towards attaining some of the goals as demanded in the declaration.

Honestly, an outbreak of any epidemic occasioned by open defecation cannot be imagined in the region.

Consequently, all stakeholders need to adopt integrated approaches and solutions to sanitation issues if SADC member-states are to achieve greater political, economic, technological, legal, environmental as well as social impacts.