DOH urges local execs to prioritize sanitation

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III yesterday urged local government officials
to give priority to sanitation programs following reports that 31 Filipinos die
every day from diarrhea due to poor sanitation.

Duque said that diarrhea has been the leading killer of Filipino children for
the past 20 years, primarily because of poor sanitation.

He noted that if access to sanitary toilets and safe water would be expanded,
not only child mortality rates but malnutrition and infection rates would also
decrease.

We would like to challenge our partners such as local government units and
other stakeholders to work together to come up and implement sustainable water
and sanitation programs to make further impact on economic growth and poverty
reduction,? Duque said.

To drum up the sanitation campaign, the Department of Health (DOH) launched
yesterday the observance of the International Year of Sanitation as declared by
the United Nations General Assembly.

As part of the program, the DOH would hold a national search for the barangay
with best sanitation practices in terms of water supply, provision of sanitary
toilet facilities and other initiatives related to environmental sanitation.

The survey of the World Bank and the United States Agency for International
Development showed that 31 Filipinos die from diarrhea resulting from poor
sanitation every day.

The survey revealed that 27.5 million Filipinos do not have sanitary toilets and
only 3.3 percent of urban households are connected to sewers that lead to
treatment facilities.

As a result, there are an estimated 38 million diarrhea cases per year that
cause 11,338 deaths annually. Untreated sewage causes high levels of
environmental pollution,? the survey showed.

It was estimated that every year, three million tons of feces and 23.7 million
cubic meters of urine pollute water bodies. Groundwater is also being polluted
by septic tanks that are not sealed at the bottom.

The survey also showed that the Philippines is losing some P77.8 billion every
year due to poor sanitation that results in premature deaths, health-care costs,
lost wages and other impacts.

Even the country’s potential to attract tourists is heavily affected by poor
sanitation. Tourists stay away from holiday destinations that they suspect are
unsanitary. Improving sanitation would help the country achieve its target of
five million tourists by 2010 and increase tourism revenues by about $40.1
million,? the survey stated. Sheila Crisostomo

Post Date : 19 Februari 2008