Latest update November 21st, 2024 1:00 AM
Guyanese need to upgrade their toilets – PAHO
A section of the gathering during the launching of the Strategic Plan for the Sanitation Sector in Guyana.
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has reported that lavatories in Guyana need to be ungraded to meet the required standards of the WHO/UNICEF definition of sanitation.
At the official launching of the Strategic Plan for the Sanitation Sector in Guyana, yesterday at the Sea Breeze Hotel in Kitty, Environmental Health Advisor of PAHO/WHO, Dr. Teofilo Monteiro, noted that 50 percent of Guyanese rely on pit latrines, and 65,000 persons need to have ungraded lavatories in their homes.
He explained that, during a survey done, it was found that 66 percent of Guyanese have pit latrines, while 24 percent have septic tanks, 7 percent have water borne sewerage, and 3 percent have no toilets at all.
It was explained that the sanitation plan will assist Guyana in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as they relate to acquiring the target of reaching 10 – 50 percent reduction in the number of persons without access to basic sanitation by 2015.
Dr. Monteiro noted that this MDG is one that is least likely to be achieved, as there is a need for better understanding of sanitation in the country.
Poor sanitation, he said, results in a negative impact on the health situation, as there can be an outbreak of diarrhoeal diseases, which are the third highest cause of death for children under five years of age.
In this regard, Dr. Monteiro said, Guyana has the highest death rate in the region as it relates to children under five.
These deaths are strongly linked to poor hygiene and sanitation, the PAHO representative said.
He added that close to 90 percent of the population lives on the coastal land, which is below sea level, is more prone to flooding, high intensity rainfall, and poor drainage, which all make it more difficult to deal with the issue of sanitation.
The plan urged for effective leadership to be established, and for the development of national policies in order to deal with the issue and to achieve the targets set out in the MDGs.
The strategic plan was developed by PAHO, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and other local partners, with funding from the Department For International Development (DFID).
Meanwhile, Country Representative of PAHO, Dr. Kathleen Israel, noted that everyone has a role to play in order to ensure that the plan does not just ‘sit on shelves and collect dust, like many other plans.’
It was noted that more than 2.6 billion people, approximately 40 percent of the world’s population, lack access to proper sanitation and hygiene facilities. As a result, the United Nations General Assembly designated 2008 as the International Year of Sanitation (IYS).
The main purpose of the year is to raise awareness about the global sanitation crisis and galvanize action to address the situation. It was explained that the accomplishment of the target set out in the MDG is critical to economic growth, people’s health, women’s empowerment, and environmental sustainability.
Similar Articles
THE BLUNT OF THE DAY
Sports
Features/Columnists
Bureaucracy gone bananas!
…Peeping Tom kaieteur News- Every morning, the government wakes up, stretches its arms, and spends one billion dollars... more
Rising Gun Crimes in the Caribbean: Urgent Action required by all
By Sir Ronald Sanders Kaieteur News – There is an alarming surge in gun-related violence, particularly among younger... more
Weekend Cartoon
