MINISTER LAUNCHES A 1.4 BILLION SHILLINGS TOILETLESS  PUBLIC FACILITY !

The     Mbezi Mwisho Commuter Bus stand , a 1.4 billion shillings public facility, was launched on Monday 5, March,   2012 by the Hon. Minister of Works Dr John Magufuli, surprisingly without public toilets, strengthening the contention by environmental health activists in the country that sanitation is a low priority for many people , including   government planners and policy implementers.

Two days after the launching , the stand was observed busy with hundreds of passengers boarding and leaving vehicles, or just waiting at the station for transport to their destinations. Meanwhile, workers were frantically    putting up walls of the expected public toilets. Minister Magufuli  had reportedly ordered, during the launching, that the public toilets should be ready within 7 days.

Without appropriate sanitation facilities ,  some people interviewed said passengers   badly in need of toilet facilities would be forced to ease themselves in the storm water drainage channels , behind buses, bushes and buildings, in bottles or polythene bags. With the ensuing rains and poor hygiene especially involving the food vendors and their clients around the station, 7 days of open defecation could trigger a cholera epidemic.

It is surprising that TANROADS, the project implementers or any other agency-government or non government, could ignore  such a key public health and social need. Safe sanitation, like safe water, is a conditional basic   health need and a right for all people.  Sanitation has been highlighted in major national government planning frameworks. Under the National Strategy for Growth and Reduction of Poverty II or MKUKUTA II, one of the operational targets   is to increase access to improved toilets and functional hand washing facilities at several levels , including public facilities and transport facilities, from 35% in urban areas in 2010 to 45% by 2015.Increased access to improved sanitation facilities in rural and urban areas has also been outlined as a strategic intervention in the Tanzania Five Year Development Plan( 2011/12-2015/16).

With about 50% of the people in Tanzania lacking access to safe sanitation facilities, our aspiration as a country to achieve   most of the World Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)   could be undermined as   the adverse sanitation impacts including diseases, poverty and poor environmental health   are crosscutting.

Launching such an important facility without public toilets brings into perspective the apparent  lack of action over the proliferation of the open defecation spots(ODSs), the so called sehemu za kuchimba dawa , along the major highways and trunk roads.   It also questions the commitment of the Ministry of Health in its oversight role for public health. While it would be difficult for a private project catering for thousands of clients daily to commence without sanitation facilities, a government project of such a magnitude has gone ahead without any hindrance from the public health regulators.

The launching of a toiletless facility does not augur well for Tanzania, a country that commemorates the World Toilet Day every year on  19 November. The objective of the World Toilet Day includes raising awareness on the importance and right of every person and household to a safe toilet. Poor sanitation has been blamed for the repetitive cholera epidemics which affect Dar es salaam city inhabitants almost every year, mostly during the long rain season or in times of severe water crisis.

COBIHESA appeals to the Ministries responsible for health, water, regional administration and local government, local government authorities, non state actors working on sanitation, and key government agencies to   pursue with commitment the targets enshrined in these government master plans in fulfillment of the right of all Tanzanians to safe sanitation. Disturbing anecdotal evidence shows that in most  programmes ,   sanitation receives low priority, as in the case of Mbezi Mwisho bus station where it came last!

WAZIRI lanserar Shilingi Bilioni 1.4 TOILETLESS majengo ya umma!

Mbezi Mwisho usafiri wa abiria kusimama Bus, shilingi bilioni 1.4 ya umma, ilizinduliwa Jumatatu 5, Machi, 2012 na Mhe. Wizara ya Kazi ya Dr John Magufuli, kushangaza bila vyoo vya umma, kuimarisha ubishi na wanaharakati wa mazingira ya afya katika nchi kuwa usafi wa mazingira ni kipaumbele chini kwa watu wengi, ikiwa ni pamoja na mipango ya serikali na watekelezaji wa sera.

Siku mbili baada ya uzinduzi, kusimama mara aliona busy na mamia ya abiria kupanda na kuacha magari, au kusubiri tu katika kituo kwa ajili ya usafiri kwenda nchi yao. Wakati huo huo, wafanyakazi walikuwa frantically kuweka juu ya kuta za vyoo matarajio ya umma. Waziri Magufuli alikuwa zimeripotiwa amri, wakati wa uzinduzi, kwamba vyoo vya umma, wawe tayari ndani ya siku 7.

Bila vifaa sahihi usafi wa mazingira, baadhi ya watu waliohojiwa walisema abiria vibaya katika haja ya vyoo bila kulazimishwa kupunguza wenyewe katika dhoruba njia ya mifereji ya maji maji, nyuma ya mabasi ya misitu, na majengo, katika chupa au mifuko ya nailoni. Pamoja na mvua unaofuata na usafi duni hasa kuwashirikisha wauzaji chakula na wateja wao kuzunguka kituo, siku 7 ya defecation wazi zinaweza kusababisha gonjwa la kipindupindu.

Ni ajabu kwamba TANROADS, watekelezaji wa mradi au nyingine yoyote ya shirika la serikali au yasiyo ya serikali, inaweza kupuuza muhimu vile afya ya umma na mahitaji ya kijamii. Usafi wa mazingira salama, kama maji safi na salama, ni sharti za afya ya msingi haja na haki kwa watu wote. Usafi wa mazingira imekuwa yalionyesha katika makubwa ya kitaifa mfumo wa mipango ya serikali. Chini ya Mkakati wa Kukuza Uchumi na Kupunguza Umaskini II au MKUKUTA II, moja ya shabaha za uendeshaji ni kuongeza upatikanaji wa vyoo bora na vifaa vya mkono kazi ya kuosha katika ngazi kadhaa, ikiwa ni pamoja na hospitali za umma na vifaa vya usafiri, kutoka 35% katika maeneo ya mijini katika % 2010-45 na upatikanaji 2015.Increased huduma bora za usafi wa mazingira katika maeneo ya vijijini na mijini pia imekuwa kama ilivyoainishwa kuingilia kimkakati katika Tanzania Five Mpango wa Maendeleo wa Miaka (2011/12-2015/16).

Na juu ya 50% ya watu katika upatikanaji wa Tanzania kukosa huduma salama za usafi wa mazingira, madhara yetu kama nchi na kufikia zaidi ya Dunia ya Milenia ya Maendeleo (MDGs) inaweza kudhoofisha kama mbaya ya usafi wa mazingira ikiwa ni pamoja na madhara ya magonjwa, umaskini na duni ya mazingira ya afya ni Mtambuka.

Uzinduzi wa kituo vile muhimu bila ya vyoo vya umma huleta katika mtazamo ukosefu dhahiri wa utekelezaji juu ya kuongezeka kwa matangazo ya wazi defecation (ODSs), hivyo kuitwa sehemu za kuchimba Dawa, pamoja barabara kuu na barabara kuu. Pia Anauliza ahadi ya Wizara ya Afya katika jukumu la kutoa mwongozo wake kwa ajili ya afya ya umma. Wakati ni kuwa ingekuwa vigumu kwa upishi binafsi mradi kwa ajili ya maelfu ya wateja kila siku kuanza bila ya vifaa vya usafi wa mazingira, mradi wa serikali kubwa kama amekwenda mbele bila kizuizi chochote kutoka wasanifu wa afya ya umma.

uzinduzi wa kituo toiletless haina augur vizuri kwa ajili ya Tanzania, nchi ambayo huadhimisha Siku ya Choo Duniani kila mwaka tarehe 19 Novemba. Lengo la Siku ya Choo Duniani ni pamoja na kuongeza uelewa juu ya umuhimu na haki ya kila mtu na nyumba kwa choo salama. Usafi duni wa mazingira imekuwa kulaumiwa kwa gonjwa la kipindupindu repetitive wa madhara ya Dar es salaam wenyeji mji karibu kila mwaka, hasa wakati wa msimu wa mvua kwa muda mrefu au wakati wa mgogoro mkubwa wa maji.

COBIHESA rufaa kwa Wizara kuwajibika kwa ajili ya afya, utawala wa maji, mikoa na serikali za mitaa, serikali za mitaa mamlaka, mashirika yasiyo ya kiserikali katika kazi ya usafi wa mazingira, na Wakala za juu wa serikali kutekeleza malengo na dhamira ipo katika kupanga mipango bwana serikali katika kutimiza haki ya Watanzania wote kwa usafi wa mazingira salama. Disturbing ushahidi anecdotal inaonyesha kwamba katika programu nyingi, usafi wa mazingira hupewa kipaumbele ya chini, kama katika kesi ya kituo cha Mbezi Mwisho basi ilikotoka ya mwisho!