By Cuthbert Otim
SERERE
Local Authorities of Kidetok Town Council in the eastern district of Serere are currently disturbed by lack of a pit latrine in Kidetok Police Post.
This concern was raised by Kidetok Town Council chairperson William Oumo who on Sunday brought the matter to the attention of the area Member of Parliament Fred Opolot.
According to Oumo police in Kidetok town council currently operate without a pit latrine since they had earlier on been borrowing from one of their neighbor hoods whose pit latrine equally got filled up a few months ago.
Oumo adds that police also have not raised their own shelter although they are currently using a dilapidated structure borrowed from one of their community members and called on police leadership both at the district and at national level to take this as a serious matter that needs government intervention.
Kidetok town council was one of 4 town councils created by the Serere district council 4 years ago with the aim of extending services nearer to the locals.
Four years later, to date the police post is seen as an agent of poor sanitation which is linked to transmission of diseases such as cholera, diarrhea, dysentery, hepatitis A&B, typhoid and polio and exacerbates stunting.
According to the study conducted by the health experts in 2010 indicated that poor sanitation reduces human well-being, social and economic development due to impacts such as anxiety, risk of sexual assault, and lost educational opportunities.
Inadequate sanitation is estimated to cause 432 000 diarrheal deaths annually and is a major factor in several neglected tropical diseases, including intestinal worms, schistosomiasis, and trachoma.
This prompted UN General Assembly to recognize access to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation as a human right, and called for international efforts to help countries to provide safe, clean, accessible and affordable drinking water and sanitation.
The Pingire county legislator Fred Opolot said for us to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal target, all stake holders must play a big role in making sure that adequate and equitable sanitation for all is put under consideration by sensitizing communities.
Diarrhea remains a major killer disease but is largely preventable. Better water, sanitation, and hygiene could prevent the deaths of 297 000 children aged under 5 years each year.
Opolot reiterated that Open defecation perpetuates a vicious cycle of disease and poverty, saying areas where open defection is most widespread have the highest number of deaths of children aged under 5 years as well as the highest levels of malnutrition and poverty, and big disparity of wealth and advised the locals in his constituency to dig pit latrines and rubbish pits as way of managing hygiene and sanitation in the locality they live in.
