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100 Villages in Lamwo on journey to gain open defecation free status
A household in Northern Uganda that has adopted good sanitation and hygiene practices. PHOTO/COURTESY
What you need to know:
- Pit latrine coverage in Lamwo stands at 59 per cent while open defecation is still at 28 per cent.
A total of 100 villages in Lamwo District are still practicing open defecation, according to a report released by the district health department.
The 100 villages are in the sub-counties of Padibe West, Lamwo Town Council and Lokung Sub-County. The villages include Ghana, Latido, Mudo, Ngomoromo, Ngomoromo North and Apuk.
Mr Vincent Kidega, a resident of Ghana Village, told Daily Monitor at the weekend that of the 39 houses, only 10 have pit-latrine.
He said open defecation has always been a norm since toilets were introduced about two decades ago for internally displaced persons.
“Secondly, we do not have pit-latrines because our soil doesn’t favour their construction. Whenever it rains, the entire villages floods, making it hard for their construction,” he said.
Ms Lawrence Nyero, a community sanitation officer in Lamwo, blamed the vice on poor community awareness.
Mr Wilson Arop, the senior environmental health officer at the district, said the locals defecate in the bush.
He added that the survey conducted last month indicates that there are high cases of diarrhea and scabies, which are as a result of poor hygiene resulting from open defecation.
Mr Arop said this has forced them to work with development partners to conduct massive sensitisation to create awareness about the dangers associated with open defecation and the importance of having a pit-latrine.
Pit latrine coverage in Lamwo stands at 59 per cent while open defecation is still at 28 per cent.
