By Ovat Abeng
Anambra State Government through Ministry of Health, has hosted a three- day training programme, for Water utilization, Sanitation Maintenance and Hygiene practices, (WASH), for stakeholders, in Awka, on February 18-20, 2025.
The participants were drawn from Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Council Areas, Schools, communities and relevant groups across the State.
Speaking to declare the programme open, the Permanent Secretary, the State Ministry of Health Dr (Mrs) Oby Ucheebo, noted that water is of supreme importance to man, as it belongs to category of the three physiological needs of man classified as air, water and food” because these have the power of life or death on man, and so man has fundamental human rights on them.
Ucheebo noted that it is this need that the United Nations Organization (UNO), mandated that all Nations of the world, should ensure that the average man in the street should have free access to safe, clean and hygienic water, by year 2030, as an objective of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
Read Also: Over 200 farmers to benefit from RHI agricultural support programme in Anambra
She said that it is this universal need of clean water for man, that inspired the Governor of Anambra State, Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo, to embark upon construction of pipe-borne water and reticulation of clean water along the streets of urban areas, such as Awka State Capital, Onitsha commercial city, Okpoko urban layout to implement the global mandate.
The Perm Sec also testified that the water project of Governor Soludo is being witnessed in rural area, with bore -holes so as to serve as democracy dividends to the people.
She urged the trainees, to regard themselves as Ambassadors of Safe Water and environmental cleanliness, for Anambra, and internalize their lessons assiduously, both theory and practice, so that they can domesticate their knowledge within their localities.
Lectures on various ethics of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), were delivered by intellectuals who served as facilitators for the programme. In her lecture, titled “Programme Planning and Implementation,” Dr Mrs Uche Ezenwaka, remarked that “access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), is essential for human health and well- being, asserting with concern that many households lack access to the basic services.
Ezenwaka noted that the implications is that lack of clean water expose people to water- borne diseases, such as cholera, typhoid, diarrhea, and so jeopardize healthy living of man.
She cited example in Okpoko, Ogbaru Local Government Area of the State, where the water- borne diseases, are prevalent, and pose as challenge to the ability of residents, especially children to survive morbidity and mortality,
She said that planning and implementation of WASH, should take holistic approach to integral parts of safe water, which include environmental sanitation, and hygienic attitude of the people. In Environmental Sanitation, it should be noted that the World Health Organization (WHO), mandated that evacuation of toilets, should be by water system, thereby banning open defecation. She said that availability of water in quality and quantity, is imperative for maintenance and sustainability of Water System Toilet. In hygiene aspect of water.
Dr Ezenwaka noted that constant washing of hands with soap and clean water, is required. She regretted that it was only during the epidemic of “COVID 19 pandemic in 2020 that people were mandated by the government to observe the hand washing attitude and after that, people have forgotten the culture.
She urged that the practice of “hand washing “regularly, be resuscitated In her lecture, on safe water supply and management, lady Mystery Ojiakor, said that Water Management is the process of planning, developing, producing, distributing and managing water resources in terms of water quality and quantity. She emphasized the importance of meticulous water management, because clean water keeps us healthy.Without clean water, people are exposed to the risk of contaminations of sickness of water-borne diseases. Good water management helps us avoid problem like floods, which can destroy homes. When water is well managed, it helps our communities grow and prosper,” she stated.
In his lecture titled “Water Storage and Handling”, Mr. Tochukwu Agwuncha emphasized on the best practices for storage of water, proper handling and transportation of water and methods of prevention of re-contamination of water.
He urged people to be meticulous in maintaining hygienic culture, in storing water for domestic usage.
Agwuncha recommended that water kept for domestic utilization in containers must have covers, to prevent infiltration of dirty air or any other dirty object, that can pollute the water and diminish its quality.
