Prof. Mike Ozekhome 
Introduction
Last week, we continued from where we stopped in our first installment -the meaning of climate change. We x-rayed it from all ramifications and angles. Today, we shall take a critical look at open defecation- its meaning, causes and effect on climate change and thereafter, we shall also look at the 10 steps to ending open defecation by the year 2030. Please read on.
Open Defecation
What is Open Defecation?
Open defecation is the human practice of defecating outside (“in the open”) rather than into a toilet, either in open fields, bushes, forests, ditches, streets, canals, or other open spaces (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_defecation). People defecate in open places because they do not have a toilet readily accessible or due to archaic traditional cultural practices. The practice is common where sanitation infrastructure and services are not available.
Even where toilets are available, behaviour change efforts may still be needed to promote the use of toilets. ‘Open defecation free’ (ODF) is a term used to describe communities that have shifted to using toilets instead of open defecation. This can happen, for example, after community-led total sanitation programs have been implemented.
In the year 2022, 420 million people (5.25% of the global population) were practicing open defecation, showing a significant decline from about 1.31 billion (21.42%) in 2000, representing a total reduction of 890 million people, 16.17 per cent points in the last 22 years.
Among those practicing open defecation, 275 million (65.6%) were living in just seven countries. In India, for example, the number had decreased by 62 per cent, from 776 million (73%) in 2000 to 157 million (11%) in 2022, showcasing the country’s significant efforts to achieving Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
However, despite the progress, India still had the largest number of people practicing open defecation, followed by Nigeria and Ethiopia.
In 2018, the National Outcome Routine Mapping, (NORM) reported that an estimated number of 47 million Nigerians (https://www.naijadazz.com/open-defecation-nigeria) defecate in the open environment. Forests/bushes are common acts and has earned Nigeria the spot of No 1 (https://thewhistler.ng/nigeria-now-ranks-no-1-in…) ranking in Africa and in the World of the countries practicing open defecation as at 2019.
In Africa, Nigeria is described as the country with the largest number of persons practicing open defecation, and the second-largest country with this practice in the world, after India. This act is widely practiced by children, adults and even the aged. There is also a close index in the number of males and females engaging in open defecation. This seems to suggest that open defecation is a general problem in Nigeria.
Causes of Open Defecation in Nigeria
In Nigeria, it is a common sight to find human feaces in public places such as motor parks, foot-paths, prayer houses, stadiums, filling stations, school environment, market places, bridge sides etc. Some states in Nigeria are recognized to have a greater percentage of people practicing open defecation than others. Areas such as Plateau and Lagos, especially Mushin, Iba, Agege Pen- Cinema, Iyana Ipaja and Okokomaiko areas of Lagos have earned a name as the highest practicing open defecation areas. The cause of this menace in Nigeria is as a result of various factors, which could be voluntary or involuntary. They include;
i. Poverty: This is the primary cause of open defecation in Nigeria. Due to the inability of some families to build a private toilet facility, they resort to open defecation in near-by bushes and pathways or secretly pass out faeces in their houses and throw them to surrounding, bushes (an act commonly referred to as shot-put by Nigerians). Open defecation is also attributed to lack of support from government to build toilets.
ii. Unsafe and inconvenient toilets as a result of the poor situation of toilet facilities. Nigerians consider open defecation as the best possible alternative in cases where the available private toilet is considered unsafe for use. This could be as a result of too many people using one toilet, leaking toilets, presence of maggots and cockroaches (pests) in toilets and poor soak-away pits. Open defecation may also be considered to be the most suitable option at night, where the toilet is located far from the home.
iii. Aesthetic reasons: It has been discovered that some persons choose to empty their bowels along a bush path than in private toilet just for the fun of it. Some have described it as enjoyable, especially when carrying out the act with a group of friends or age-mates.
iv. Lack Of Water Supply: Because of the absence of water in some rural areas, citizens choose to go the easier way, rather than undergo the stress of having to trek long distances for water to clear the faeces after defection in a toilet. Some see the use of toilets as unnecessary and stressful in comparison to open defecation, where a toilet roll or paper is all that is required.
v. Lack Of Health Awareness: This has caused an increase in the practice of open defecation. Lack of sensitization on the diseases caused by this practice has increased the rate of open defecation in the country.
vi. Homelessness: Another factor that adds to the cause of open defection in Nigeria is that of homelessness, as the lack of adequate housing and displacement of people due to insurgency has left people on the street to fend for themselves. This has also increased open defecation, especially in the northern part of the country, which is a major part of the country that has seen displacement and a large number of homeless people in the area.
Effects of open defecation on Climate Change
Open defecation can pollute the environment and cause health problems and diseases. The adverse health effects of Open Defecation are numerous and acute effects include; infectious intestinal diseases, including diarrheal diseases, which are exacerbated by poor water supplies, sanitation and hygiene. Chronic effects include soil-transmitted helminthiases, increased anemia, giardiasis, environmental entropathy and small-intestine bacterial overgrowth, and stunting and long-term impaired cognition (https://www.environmental-expert.com/articles/the..)
Open defecation has also been linked to environmental pollution. High levels of open defecation are linked to high child mortality, poor nutrition, poverty, and large disparities between rich and poor.
Ending open defecation is an indicator being used to measure progress towards the Sustainable Development Goal Number 6. Extreme poverty and lack of sanitation are statistically linked. Therefore, eliminating open defecation is thus an integral part of the effort to eliminate poverty.
Environmental and health hazards caused by Open Defecation.
Irrespective of the various reasons for open defecation as listed above, this practice has posed a great threat to Nigeria’s socio-economic development as well as the good health of its citizens. According to WHO, the practice of open defecation affects a large number of people all over the world. Children have been reported to be the most affected of all ages. Some impacts of open defecation include though not limited to:
a.Water pollution and water-borne diseases: The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has associated water-borne disease with open defecation. Oftentimes, in rural areas, public defecations are done in flowing waterways, such as rivers or streams. As a result, the water source becomes contaminated and may eventually end up in the main water source of a family or individual. This water, if untreated and taken into the body may cause serious health issues like cholera and typhoid. Children are the most susceptible to these diseases. In addition to this, bathing with faeces-contaminated water could lead to Swimmer’s itch.
b. Air pollution: This is the most ignored environmental hazards caused by open defecation. Foul smells pollute the surrounding air and often cause nauseating effects.
c. Vector-borne Disease: The presence of faeces in an area usually attracts the presence of insects such as flies, as well as pests. These flies, travel to surrounding areas such as houses and offices. If they eventually find their way into uncovered foods and drinks, they perch on them, thereby transmitting diseases. The after-effects of these are usually stomach ache and diarrhoea.
d. Malnutrition: When a child is exposed to lack of proper sanitation and hygiene for a long period of time, he or she begins to lose appetite for food, and will occasionally lead to a weakened immune system, thus making the child susceptible to other diseases.
e. Increased Risk Of Polio Infection: The poliovirus infection is transmitted via a faecal-oral route; hence, babies and children who are fond of their hands into the mouth can get easily infected.
f. Others hazards of open defecation include; vulnerability to rape and assault, usually peculiar to woman and children, dangers of wild animals especially along bush paths.
10 Steps to ending Open Defecation by 2030
Strategies that can enable communities, both rural and semi-urban, to become completely open defecation-free and remain so include:
Peri-urbanisation – Wikipedia
Peri-urbanisation relates to the processes of scattered and dispersive urban growth that create hybrid landscape…
1. Make toilets a status symbol
We have to make toilets sexy, so that people want to have them.
When you say “toilet”, people often think of dark, dirty and
smelly places. Instead, we need them to think of toilets as rooms
of happiness – clean, colorful and not smelly. Rational approaches
have limited impact on behaviour change. Although they can serve
as justification for choice, people primarily make decisions based
on aspirations and justify their decisions rationally afterwards. (To be continued).
2. Change the vocabulary
There is a need to make the conversation more accessible by saying what we mean. Even among those working in the field, we
constantly hide behind clean-sounding words like sanitation,
latrine, Wash (water sanitation and hygiene), open defecation.
These words do not mean anything to the masses. So, how can we
drive action if we cannot even talk about what we are doing? Let
us replace words like sanitation and open defecation with toilets
and defecating outside.
3. Start with health
Disease transmission and other risks are associated with open
defecation. People need to understand the worth of investing in
toilets in terms of the health benefits. This is not feasible without supportive policies and a market environment, and cannot increase demand for sanitation alone. That requires a combination of factors.
Thought for the week
“Climate Change is happening. Humans are causing it, and I think this is perhaps the most serious environmental issue facing us”. (Bill Nye).
Last line
God bless my numerous global readers for always keeping faith with the Sunday Sermon on the Mount of the Nigerian Project, by humble me, Prof Mike Ozekhome, SAN, CON, OFR, FCIArb., LL.M, Ph.D, LL.D, D.Litt, D.Sc. Kindly, come with me to next week’s exciting dissertation.
