Open Defecation a Malady Afflicting our Society
Open defecation is the practice of people defecating outside and not into a designated toilet. According to the United Nations Some 2.5 billion people worldwide do not have adequate toilets and among them, One billion defecate in the open
– in fields, bushes, or bodies of water – putting them, and especially children, in danger of deadly diseases like diarrhea, cholera, typhoid, hepatitis, polio, worm infestation, reduced physical growth, impaired cognitive function and under nutrition.
In Nigeria it is estimated that over thirty four million people practice open defecation of this statistics majority of people who practice open defecation in Nigeria live in rural areas where they do not have adequate access to toilet and sanitation. Nonetheless urban cities like Lagos still experience high level of open defecation on the road, street corners, canals etc. although no data to back up the fact that open defecation is actually on the rise in cities like Lagos, a quick walk around certain areas in the city you will observe people defecating in very busy areas like rail lines, under bridges, along water ways etc, yet nobody talks about it, the time to break the silence is now. Eliminating open defecation is the main aim of improving access to sanitation. Even if toilets are available, people still need to be convinced to refrain from open defecation and use toilets.
Currently a lot of efforts are in place to reduce open defecation in Nigeria by the government and other international agencies, but a lot still needs to be done in order to drastically reduce the incidence of open defecation in Nigeria.
Countries that account for almost three-quarters of the people who practice open defecation:
Man digging a hole to defecate in Lagos
India (626 million)
Indonesia (63 million)
Pakistan (40 million)
Ethiopia (38 million)
Nigeria (34 million)
Sudan (19 million)
Nepal (15 million)
China (14 million)
Niger (12 million)
Burkina Faso (9.7 million)
Mozambique (9.5 million)
Cambodia (8.6 million).
Note: All the information in this report is based on data available up to and including 2010
– in fields, bushes, or bodies of water – putting them, and especially children, in danger of deadly diseases like diarrhea, cholera, typhoid, hepatitis, polio, worm infestation, reduced physical growth, impaired cognitive function and under nutrition.
In Nigeria it is estimated that over thirty four million people practice open defecation of this statistics majority of people who practice open defecation in Nigeria live in rural areas where they do not have adequate access to toilet and sanitation. Nonetheless urban cities like Lagos still experience high level of open defecation on the road, street corners, canals etc. although no data to back up the fact that open defecation is actually on the rise in cities like Lagos, a quick walk around certain areas in the city you will observe people defecating in very busy areas like rail lines, under bridges, along water ways etc, yet nobody talks about it, the time to break the silence is now. Eliminating open defecation is the main aim of improving access to sanitation. Even if toilets are available, people still need to be convinced to refrain from open defecation and use toilets.
Currently a lot of efforts are in place to reduce open defecation in Nigeria by the government and other international agencies, but a lot still needs to be done in order to drastically reduce the incidence of open defecation in Nigeria.
Countries that account for almost three-quarters of the people who practice open defecation:
Man digging a hole to defecate in Lagos
India (626 million)
Indonesia (63 million)
Pakistan (40 million)
Ethiopia (38 million)
Nigeria (34 million)
Sudan (19 million)
Nepal (15 million)
China (14 million)
Niger (12 million)
Burkina Faso (9.7 million)
Mozambique (9.5 million)
Cambodia (8.6 million).
Note: All the information in this report is based on data available up to and including 2010
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