By Suzan Edeh, Bauchi
The Bauchi State Environmental Protection Agency(BASEPA) in collaboration with Women Development Association for Self Sustenance (WODASS) with support from WaterAid Nigeria has trained Manual Pit Emptiers in Tafawa Balewa Local Government on Safe hygienic pit emptying practices and disposal of faecal sludge.
Daily Independent reports that the objective of the training is to build the capacity of Manual Pit Emptiers for faecal sludge management on communication and community engagement, regulatory compliance, business development and marketing, resource recovery techniques(waste to wealth) such as composing briquettes formation, biogas digested and data management skills.
Speaking during a presentation at the training, the Director General BASEPA, Dr. Mahmud Bose said that the training was conducted in order to ensure that the participants abide the pit emptying practices in order to prevent disease transmission such as diarrhoea, typhoid and cholera as well as protect ground and surface water quality and environment.
According to him, Pit emptying is the process of removing accumulated faecal sludge from Pit latrines and septic tanks and is performed using either Manual or mechanical method.
“Globally, an estimated 1.6 million deaths including children are recorded annually due to faecal contamination and over 100,000 deaths of under 5 children in Nigeria.About 1.8 billion people globally are estimated to use a source of drinking water that is faecally contaminated”
“Annually, the total cost of unsafely managed human excrete are estimated at US $260 billion globally and around N455 billion(1.3%GDP) in Nigeria” he said
He educated them on the risks associated with Pit emptying and how to mitigate them as well as to know how to use protective equipments correctly.
Also in his presentation, the Director Enforcement and Compliance BASEPA, Muhammad Usman stated that a safely managed Sanitation is essential for public health, environmental sustainability and overall well-being, adding that investing in safely managed Sanitation is crucial for health, environmental protection and economic development, governments, communities and Individuals must work together to ensure equitable access to Sanitation services for a cleaner and healthier world.
He stated that managing Faecal Sludge present several organic hazards that can affect the health and safety of workers, adding that in manually handling, workers often face risk during the carrying and transporting heavy loads such as Sludge containers which can cause injuries.
Regarding health and safety measures to mitigate hazards when handling Faecal Sludge, Muhammad said that Faecal is professionals must implement safe handling procedures such as proper personal protective equipments, enough ventilation, capacity training, medical checkups and Emergency Response Protocols.