Maria, Siquijor – The municipality of Maria in this mystic island province of Siquijor steps up their campaign for zero open defecation (ZOD) to help curb the increase of acute gastroenteritis in the community. According to its program manager and Municipal Sanitary Inspector Ms. Nellyn D. Aguillar that “more than half of the barangays are already certified ZOD. We intensify the campaign to the rest of the barangays to increase the number of households to build their own toilets and eliminating the practice of open defecation to achieve ZOD in all barangays by 2022, which is the gmain goal of the program”.
The ZOD is a program that utilizes the approaches and strategies of Community-Led Total Sanitation or CLTS. CLTS is under the umbrella concept of total sanitation that includes a range of behaviors such as stopping open defecation practices; ensuring that everyone uses a sanitary toilet; frequent and proper hand washing; hygienic handling food and water; safe disposal of animal and domestic waste; creation and maintenance of a clean and safe environment. The DOH, through the National Sustainable Sanitation Plan, has set an ambitious target that by 2022, all barangays that are practicing open defecation shall be declared ZOD status.
Maria has 22 barangays that supports the advocacy campaign for ZOD Program of the Department of Health. The municipality had imposed an ordinance requiring all households of Maria to comply ZOD, providing for its guidelines and penalties for violation. Thus, tracking of household without toilet is imperative for the monitoring team to encourage and educate about proper sanitation and hygiene. The LGU is consistent with its vision of having a healthy community since health and nutrition is their number one priority.
Having a Zero Open Defecation in the municipality of Maria can help address problems in health and nutrition of children and their families. Lack of sanitary toilet in some barangays in the municipality is one of the sanitation problems in the community. “Some household, having a toilet is not their priority, walay CR moadto ra sa kasa or kasagbutan”, said Ladica, one of the Barangay Health Workers in Maria.
According to the World Health Organization, poor sanitation is linked to the transmission of many diseases including dysentery, cholera, typhoid, and polio. These multiple diseases lead to greater risk that affects health and nutrition of children under 5, as their immunity is not strong enough yet to fight many diseases caused by poor sanitation. Research showed that long term malnutrition because of parasites in the child’s body prevents necessary physical and cognitive development leads to stunted growth which has irreversible effect.
The municipality of Maria collaborate with barangay officials in putting emphasis on placing awareness, triggering mindsets by putting on demand in establishing sanitary facilities in houses in achieving a safe healthy community. // ND II Karen F. Abe, RND
