The United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF Bauchi Field Office, has called on the state government to initiate a policy that will ensure effective management of faecal sludge.
The Chief of Field Office, UNICEF Bauchi, Dr Tushar Rane, made the call in Bauchi on Tuesday during a three-day Strategy Development Workshop on Climate-Resilient Faecal Sludge Management and Operative
Guidelines for the State.
He stated that the poor practices around faecal disposal presents a devastating health impact on the people, especially children and women.
Rane explained that the strategy document that would be developed from the workshop would present approaches toward enabling environment needed to implement and regulate safe Faecal Sludge Management in the state.
The UNICEF chief added that the document would also include technical guidelines, standard operating procedures, monitoring and evaluation framework and the estimated investments needed for Faecal Sludge Management in Bauchi state.
Rane said: “The outcome of this workshop will also provide operational guidelines for service providers and relevant stakeholders within the faecal sludge management value chain.
“UNICEF, with the generous support of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will continue to work with the Bauchi State
Government and other development partners to encourage safe and environment-friendly faecal sludge management”.
Rane, who acknowledged that Bauchi is a leading state in the implementation of WASH related interventions in Nigeria, said effective management of faecal sludge would contribute to achieving Sustainable Development Goals related to WASH.
The Bauchi State Commissioner for Environment and Housing, Mr Danlami Kaule, thanked UNICEF for the technical support provided to the state.
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He stated that the collection, transportation, treatment and end use or reuse of excreta constituted the value chain of fecal sludge management.
“I’m sure you will all agree with me that faecal sludge management has been very poor in most of our states, but the story is now changing in Bauchi State.
“The Bauchi State Environmental Protection Agency, BASEPA, as a regulating agency under the Ministry of Environment is doing a good work by formalising key actors along the fecal sludge value chain in the state.
“The Agency has come up with a draft guidelines for faecal sludge management, and organised series of capacity building workshops
to faecal sludge manual and mechanised emptiers across the state”, he added.
Credible news reports that the workshop was organised by BASEPA, in collaboration with the Bauchi State Rural Water Supply & Sanitation Agency, with support from UNICEF and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Credible news.ng
