The Executive Coordinator of Banjul honourable Ebrima Jawo has said the Tanbi Wetland and sea Front in Banjul are being use by many visitors for defecation.
He added that the perpetrators includes hospital escorts coming and staying around the hospital area ,fishermen along the coast as well as men and women doing laundry around the Tanbi area.
He however attributed the menace to lack of public toilets in Banjul as a key factor.He underscored the need for collective action, stating that preventing open defecation points is a collective responsibility for every citizen.
Honourable Jawo was speaking earlier this morning at a high level national consultation on Ending open defecation in the Gambia held at the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara International Conference Center.
The forum brought together key stakeholders from government institutions,development partners and civil society.
Meanwhile, the UNICEF Country Representative Ms Nafisa Binte Shafique delivering the keynote address highlighted that while 48% of Gambians now have access to improved sanitation,a small percentage of the population still practices open defecation.
She stressed that ending the practice requires more than building toilets “it demands social and behavioural change to protect families from preventable diseases and reduce healthcare costs.”.
For his part, Dr Ahmed Lamin Samateh the minster of Health emphasized that open defecation is not only an environmental issue but also a major public health concern,contributing to diseases such as cholera, Diarrhoea,and other communicable diseases particularly affecting children and vulnerable groups.
He called on all citizens to take collective responsibility in improving hygiene education for sustainable development.
