World Toilet Day: Around The Table To Understand The Stakes

The United Nations World Toilet Day, which is celebrated on November 19, had as theme this year in Cameroon, “Underground water and sanitation: What individual environmental measures accessible to everyone?” At the global level, the theme was “Making the invisible visible.” To mark the day, the “Association nationale des Toilettes pour tous au Cameroun,” organised a roundtable discussion in Yaounde on Saturday, November 19, 2022. The topic was on promoting the construction and use of toilets that meet norms in order to bar the way to cholera outbreaks and pollution of the environment. The roundtable discussion was moderated by Emmanuel Batake.  
“There exists a national strategy on toilets. Studies have been carried out on water and sanitation, but there are not disseminated to the public. Stakeholders need to come together and discuss,” suggested Mrs. Tall’a nee Djuikouo Ndeffo Christine Flore, President of the “Association nationale des Toilettes pour tous au Cameroun,” AFPECC.
According to her, challenges with toilet use include locked up toilets in some ministries in Yaounde, polluted water from sewage that is used in watering some of the vegetables grown and sold in Yaounde. Thus, the risks of cholera and other water-borne diseases. She insisted that signposts are urgently needed to direct people to public toilets.  
“Toilet issues are often taboo subjects. The organization of the roundtable discussion on the topic by AFPECC was a very good idea. From Millennium Development Goals to Sustainable Development Goals, the issue of access to toilets and sanitation have gradually gained in importance, becoming a human right in 2010. The Yaounde City Council and sub-divisional councils should include toilets as a requirement for issuing building plans,” suggested Idriss Kouotou Njoya, the Sub-director for Liquid Sanitation in the Ministry of Water Resources and Energy, MINEE.
“MINEE sensitizes schools on toilets. We are developing a national policy on water treatment. Developing climate change resilient technologies for water treatment like dry toilets is important because water is not available in sufficient quantities in all parts of the country. Moreover, much water is needed in schools to flush toilets,” Idriss Kouotou explained.
He disclosed that 3,600 toilet blocks are planned for construction in all of Cameroon’s 360 councils. “It is just a plan as each council is free to make use of it to co...