The United Nations Children Fund, UNICEF, October 10, in Yaounde, launched a project to construct some 1.5 million toilets throughout the country.

Under the water, sanitation and hygiene initiative dubbed WASH, the initiative was launched by UNICEF representative in Cameroon, Ms. Clemens Ora Musu in collaboration with the Minister of Water and Energy, Jean Bernard Sindeu.

According to the terms of the initiative some 1.500.000 toilets would be constructed in three years at the tune of FCFA 3.4 billion per year.According to the programme, households and public establishments would have to do the digging of the toilets after which a subvention would be given to fund the decking of the toilet.

In the area of water, FCFA 25.5 billion per year would be used in the construction of 22.000 new taps, and the rehabilitation of 6000 existing ones.The programme was formulated within the context of water and sanitation being a big challenge in Cameroon, following the household Multiply Indicator Survey conducted in 2006 and recently.

The report indicates that the sanitary situation in rural areas is preoccupying with only 15 percent of the rural population having access to improved toilets.In the same vein, access to potable water is limited to only 30 percent of the population with household access estimated at 23 percent. Only 106 of the 320 towns in Cameroon have access to potable water.

The poor sanitary and water situation consequently is a source of diseases such as diarrhoea and dysentery especially in children. Against this background, Ora Musu maintained that water and sanitation are key child survival components.

To ensure the right to sanitation and water for this category, UNICEF would support the WASH initiative in reinforcing the technical and human capacities in the follow-up, evaluation and coordination of the programme at all levels; reorientation and elaboration of policies and sectoral strategies in the sustainable management of infrastructure, Musu stated.

She added that UNICEF would equally identify, conceive and develop an information communication and education tool geared towards behavioural change, and knowledge acquisition in practical hygiene and support water and sanitation projects in schools and health centres.