The Network for Civil Societies on Water and Sanitation (NEWSAN) has called on government at all levels to take urgent steps to boost water and sanitation conditions in the country.
This was contained in a statement signed by Mr Shem Adah, the Organisation’s Programmes Manager, in Abuja on Sunday.
NEWSAN is a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) and a network for civil society organisations involved in water sanitation and hygiene programmes in the country.
The statement was issued after a two-day National Sensitisation Workshop on Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS), organised for NGOs in the country in Makurdi.
It noted that the workshop was to sensitise NEWSAN members on the principles of CLTS for effective delivery of sanitation in the country.
It stated that in spite of efforts by relevant stakeholders to boost hygiene, the country's sanitation level stood below the MDG target.
“With barely three years to the MDG target of 2015 and in spite of all efforts made by sanitation stakeholders in sanitation delivery, national access to improved sanitation is still at a disturbing 31 per cent.’’
The statement urged government to provide an enabling environment to accelerate the ongoing efforts toward scaling up the CLTS in the country.
The government, it added, should prioritise water and sanitation policy and take into cognisance CLTS as an appropriate approach to rural sanitation.
It suggested the establishment of a National Task Group on Sanitation (NTGS) in the 36 states of the federation “to fast track the process of harmonising national sanitation policies.’’
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