AT Mnyanjani Village, a remote location in Mzingani Ward in Tanga City, women scrap fish to remove fish scales in readiness for preparation of lunch.

One wonders whether any of the city council official has ever visited the location, tipped to be the nucleus of the once famous Tanga town but shrouded in filth of all sorts. It is low tide, so a larger part of the shore is as bare as a desert, the sea water having drifted back to the deep sea.

Moving around needs caution; for one could easily step on dry faeces, emitted there probably the previous night. But as for the host, nothing seemed to matter and she harboured no similar thoughts - a fact evidenced by her quick movements-barefooted less.

The fact is there are only a few dozen latrines in the entire village. As it transpired, like was the case in over 30 villages along the coastline in the region, nobody would talk about the absence of latrines. In fact to most of them, it is a non-issue.

"Here, nobody builds a latrine because the sea is only a stone-throw from where we live,",revealed a primary school boy who seemingly expected a little kick back from the stranger. "It is not a lie. The area along the shore is seriously contaminated," said the boy in reply to an inquiry as to why the area we were walking on was full of faeces, albeit no foul smell was noticeable.

"Usually, the villagers attend to call of nature in shrubs which border the sea shore, knowing that the faeces would ultimately be washed away by water during high tide," he explains.. "In the location, there is partition for men and women. Under no circumstances, does a man visit women's allotted area and vice versa," says a retired government official who was born in the village but stays in the city centre.

He says: "Mnyanjani's case is similar to other coastal villages along the coastline, not only in Tanga but down to Kilwa and the Pemba Island". "At one time when I was on l leave,I visited my home village - Vyera - a location found along the Tanga - Horohoro highway to see my relatives.

I needed to relieve myself. I followed a common foot path. Suddenly, I came face to face with faeces. I then diverted to the other side to accomplish my need," says the 80 year old. An official from the regional health office here, has warned against open defecation along the sea shores. "

The faeces which they deposit on the sea shore or in shrubs is a health hazard," he says. "The bacteria contained in the faeces in their millions cause cholera, which manifests itself in the form of diarrhoea. Then there is typhoid which is also a waterborne disease," he warns.

The official who opted for anonymity on claim that the matter was a distasteful issue, countered a common fallacy that once the faeces is in the sea, the parasites are easily killed by sea water which is understood to be salty. "After all, bacteria causing cholera prefer breeding in large numbers in sea water" he lectured, adding that eating the faeces may as well be careers of the bacteria.

In my considered opinion, he said, the local government could have the peoples mind set changed through mass sensitization on the haphazard of open defecation. Almost a decade ago, a non governmental organisation under the Sustainable Tanga Programme volunteered to build a few dozens modern latrines at Tongoni, Mwarongo, Chongoleani and Kigombe as models so villagers would build similar structures but most of them were not put to use.

Tanga City Council senior management officer, Primus Mamseri was once quoted by the press to have said STP, on a 5 year DANIDA support project had sensitized wananchi through awareness raising programmes in various villages on the necessity to build latrines and use them.

'Unfortunately, the response in many areas was slow in that many of them failed to come forward and contribute a sum as agreed between the villagers and the financier" he said.By the time the financiers contract ended in 2007, only a couple of latrines had been built in certain villages.

Tanga City Mayor, Omar Guledi, told the 'Daily News' in an interview at the weekend that sensitization of wananchi towards construction of latrines along its 30 or so villages had been a sustainable task since the financiers contract elapsed.

"After the donors left, we immediately took off from where they had reached- educating the villagers on the need to build and use latrines", said Guledi. He said so far, some villagers had already started building latrines,but I must admit, a lot needs to be done towards this direction.

"In my village, (Tongoni) scores of people, even those living a few metres from the sea shore are building latrines. But admittedly, more push is needed". According to Guledi, the Tanga City Council (TCC) has, on the drawing board, plans to look for a revolving fund with which to extend loan facility to villagers, instead of depending on foreign financial funding which was after all not forth coming.

A local government official at Maere, a village next to Tongoni admitted that building of latrines in most coastal locations bordering the sea is presently next to impossible.

"How can a villager who lives on a meal a day understand the tune requiring him to build a latrine at his household?" he says, adding that it is only when the government has chipped in, in terms of fund towards such project that latrines would be built. "Building a latrine needs money.

There is buying cement, boulders, concrete wires, steel bars - living alone corrugated iron sheets. Construction of latrines is basically the responsibility of the respective villagers under the guidance of village governments," says Deodatus Mfugale, former Chairman of the Journalists Association of Tanzania (JET).

Mr Mfugale says government's directives issued from time to time with regard to the necessity to build latrines in every household, notwithstanding, it rests with local government leaders to ensure the directives are implemented effectively, adding that such leaders should themselves show the way for others to follow.

United Nations (UN) statistics show that more than 2.4 billion people worldwide, lack toilet facilities - a factor that has triggered diarrhoeal diseases that kill an estimated 4,000 children every day. Provision of water and sanitation is an MDG pre requisite which calls for developing nations to not only reduce by 50 per cent the number of people living in abject poverty and hunger but also those without access to water and inadequate sanitation.

Whereas every body recognizes that sanitation is key to good health, it is of paramount importance that serious strategies are intensified to sensitize community living along the coastline towards construction of latrines and using them. Of course, where necessary, budgets should include provision of the amenities.