Ambassador Bobby Whitfield, Chief Executive Officer, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Commission (WASHC), speaking Thursday, November 18, 2021 at the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism, disclosed that Friday, November 19, 2021 is celebrated throughout the globe as World Toilet Day.
According to Ambassador Whitfield, the day was set aside about thirteen years ago by the United Nations to carry out awareness and advocate the importance of toilet in the society.
“Around the world there are almost 3.6 billion people who do not have access to toilet, which risks the lives of everyone of us living on the face of the planet. This is how important toilet is,” Ambassador Whitfield stated.
“Liberia is not more than one percent of the number, but almost half of our population does not have access to toilet. However, if you don’t have access to toilet don’t practice what we call open defecation,” Ambassador Whitfield warned.
“Open defecation in simple English is ‘pupuing’ on the beaches. All over this country, it is easy for people to just squad anywhere and ‘pupu’. ‘Pupu’ has become common thing in this country,” he said.
He emphasized that those who have access to toilet can also be affected by the open defecation practiced by those who do not have access to toilet, explaining that when the rain falls it spreads the feces, which sometimes enter water drainages, or are carried by flies that would later sit on foods meant for consumption.
He stated that Liberians need to change their behavior of practicing open defecation. “Even if the President of the Republic of Liberia puts all the money in the budget for open defecation, it will not still help us until we change our behavior. If we cannot change our behavior of toileting in plastics and on the beaches, then we are not prepared to move forward,” he added.
This year will be the first time for Liberia to join the world in celebrating the stride to end open defecation in the world.