Ogun State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWATSAN), has embarked on a sensitisation and awareness campaign programme, in a bid to prevent the outbreak of cholera and other water-borne diseases in prone communities.

Commissioner for Rural Development, Mrs. Olufemi Ilori-Oduntan, while speaking during the programme at Surulere community, Agbo-Afoju, Sabo, in Abeokuta North Local Government Area, said the awareness became necessary to checkmate the perennial challenge during the dry season, when water levels in wells drop, making residents to get water from unreliable sources.  

Mrs. Ilori-Oduntan, stated that proper hygienic practices and attitudinal change were prerequisites for a disease-free society, urging the people in the area to be more proactive with their hygiene practices, as government had declared zero tolerance on endemic diseases in the state.

Represented by the Programme Manager, RUWATSAN, Mr. Sola Ogunbo, the Commissioner advised the people to constantly clear drainages, desist from indiscriminate dumping of refuse and ensure that every household has toilets, noting that ailments associated with unhygienic practices were numerous, including typhoid, dysentery and so on.

Responding, the Chairman, Ilupeju Oke-Odo Community Development Council (CDC), Dr. Munir Adesola, lauded the agency for the programme, saying the campaign would encourage people to embrace hygienic lifestyle, calling on government to make it a continuous exercise and reach out to other communities across the state.

Other participants at the programme included community leaders, representatives of area CDCs, various religious bodies, Hausa communities, as well as Community Health Workers.

Highlights of the event were disinfection of selected water sources in the communities, demonstration of hand washing, method of water purification and treatment, as well as distribution of wash materials to representatives of over 50 Community Development Associations.