Alebtong lacks latrines
Sep 07, 2011
<b>Residents decry excessive pollution</b><br>Residents surrounding Busolwe Hospital in Butaleja district are complaining of heavy pollution.They are asking the Government to provide an incinerator facility for the hospital.
At least 58% of households in Abako sub-county in Alebtong district do not have pit-latrines, the assistant health inspector for the sub-county has disclosed.
Francis Epiangu said this was discovered by a survey done by district officials and Divine Waters Uganda. He attributed the low latrine coverage to alcohol and laziness of the locals.
Epiangu made the disclosure recently while receiving sanitation kits worth sh8.5m donated by Divine Waters Uganda. The kits included spades, axes and pangas are meant to help the communities dig pit latrines in homes and improve hygiene and sanitation.
Epiangu said latrine and sanitation issues were not only about disease prevention, but also about human dignity. He urged residents to practice good hygiene and proper sanitation in order to control diseases.
Abako sub-county chairperson Bernard Angol said latrine coverage in the past used to be at 90% because chiefs had the power to enforce sanitation laws in the communities, which is not the case today.
“The council will soon pass a by-law to punish people in villages who do not have latrines at their homes,†he added. The executive director of Divine Waters Uganda, Edwin Okabo, said the organisation would ensure that Alebtong and Lira districts had 100% latrine coverage and safe clean water in the sub sub-counties of Abako and Ogur.