Flushed with success

SUNDAY WAS World Toilet Day, to raise awareness about the lack of proper sanitation to 2.5 billion people worldwide.

This year it was observed under the theme “Waste Water” – by 2030 the Sustainable Development Goals aim to reach everyone with sanitation, halve the proportion of untreated waste water and increase recycling and safe re-use.

In 2013 the UN announced that November 19 each year should be dedicated to draw attention to the global sanitation challenges.

The UN said that this would encourage action from governments around the globe to recommit themselves to curb the plight of those without proper sanitation.

The government of South Africa has made significant strides in ensuring that the previously disadvantaged communities, who were at the receiving end of the previous regime, get proper and dignified sanitation.

The achievements include the eradication of the massive bucket backlog. The provision of decent sanitation means that communities no longer have to walk great distances to access sanitation.

While we acknowledge progress made, unfortunately vandalism of toilet infrastructure and communal taps remain a significant challenge.

Sadly, damaging of the infrastructure meant to help communities undermines gains made by government.

In the wake of World Toilet Day, we say different players can play integral roles in curbing vandalism by employing the following measures:

• Communities must refrain from depositing foreign objects (newspapers, stones, etc) into the toilets.

• The Chamber of Business can lend a helping hand by encouraging industries (scrapyards) to refrain from buying stolen toilet infrastructure.

• Communities are urged to report incidents of vandalism to the local authorities.

Awareness and education remains a key intervention to curb vandalism and theft of infrastructure.

Given the new normal of less rainfall, the government is exploring dry sanitation solutions to curb heavy reliance on using water for flushing.

“Water is life, sanitation is dignity.” Malusi Rayi Department of Water and Sanitation