The Chairman, Lagos State House of Assembly Committee on Environment, Hon. Dayo Saka-Fafunmi, on Tuesday called on the state government to discourage the use of pit latrines in the state.
Saka-Fafunmi gave the advice in an interview against the backdrop of a young boy who was declared missing but found dead in an open latrine at Ketu area of the state.
It would be recalled that the primary one pupil, Kehinde Toba lost his life after he fell into an open 25-feet pit latrine on Feb. 17 at Alapere area of Ketu,
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The boy’s corpse was later discovered at about 5pm the next day, after a bricklayer had sealed up the pit without knowing that he was trapped inside.
The lawmaker, who sympathised with the family of late Toba, described the loss as ‘pathetic’ which was caused by negligence.
He said, “By all standards in Lagos, the use of pit latrine should be disemphasised. It should be outlawed.
“Pit latrine portends more danger than anything, you can imagine because at any point, it brings series of accidents.
“I only hope at this point that the government will clamp down on the use of pit latrine to forestall future occurrence of such disaster.”
Fafunmi stated that a state that is below sea level should not encourage pit latrine because of water contamination.
He added, “Pit latrine should be discouraged in Lagos State, especially when we know fully well that Lagos is below the water level, pit latrines encourages every form of contamination.
“People with pit latrines still have deep well in their homes and this gets into the water and contaminate it. No wonder, we have a lot of water borne diseases.
“It is something that should be discouraged by the state Government.”
The lawmaker added that if there was need for the state to create a special incentive to help people build proper toilet facilities with a view to ensuring that such money were paid back, the government should not hesitate to do that.
According to him, such a step will be a right step in the right direction to safeguard the society from such accidents and the attendant diseases.
The lawmaker said that the importance of good latrine necessitated the reason for celebrating World Toilet Day.
He, however, emphasised that alternative toilet facilities should be provided for residents before going after landlords, whose houses have pit latrines.
The lawmaker said that sewage was not allowed to be treated within premises in the developed climes.
He said that building sewage treatment plants could be expensive, but that it would have overall benefits of reducing physical and health hazards in the state.
