Western Province has joined the rest of the country in commemorating World Toilet Day with an event held at Senanga Secondary School, where calls for improved sanitation and an end to open defecation took centre stage.
The event, held under the global theme βSanitation in a Changing Worldβ, brought together government officials, cooperating partners, civil society, schools and community members.
Delivering a speech on behalf of Western Province, Permanent Secretary Mr. Simomo Akapelwa, Deputy Permanent Secretary Richard Mulwanda reminded attendees that access to safe and adequate sanitation remains a fundamental human right and an essential pillar in promoting public health and dignity.
Mr. Mulwanda emphasised that unsafe disposal of human waste continues to contaminate rivers, lakes, lagoons and hand-dug wells, heightening risks of diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea, dysentery and trachoma.
He noted that safe toilets provide privacy, security and dignity, while also ensuring that children remain in school and workers stay healthy and productive.
Projects such as the Integrated Small Town Water Supply and Sanitation Project, the Transforming Rural Livelihoods in Western Zambia (TRLWZ) and CDF-funded initiatives are among those improving sanitation infrastructure across the Province.
Cooperating partners such as WaterAid Zambia, World Vision, ECHO and others were also recognised for constructing waterborne toilets in public institutions.
Mr. Mulwanda urged DWASH committees, local authorities and the Western Water Supply and Sanitation Company to intensify community sensitisation, in collaboration with traditional leadership, in order to achieve Open Defecation Free (ODF) communities.
After the Commemoration, the team took some time to appreciate some toilets in Lianyi Village.
