The Oshana Regional Council plans to build 89 additional toilets this financial year as part of a longer-term campaign to eliminate open defecation across the region.
This is according to chief regional officer Teopolina Hamutumwa.
"Recognising that proper sanitation is fundamental to public health and human dignity, the council highlighted significant progress through its rural sanitation programme," she says.
She says the construction of toilets directly advances the sixth Sustainable Development Goal on water and sanitation.
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For that the council has set aside N$1.4 million and allocations are made based on population needs in each constituency, Hamutumwa says.
She says over the past five years, the council has constructed 653 toilets across all 11 constituencies, investing over N$9.6 million in an effort to expand sanitation access.
"Notable milestones include the construction of 152 toilets in the 2023/24 financial year and 225 toilets in 2024/25, reflecting accelerating momentum in the fight against open defecation," she says.
Hamutumwa adds that the council also embraced a "community-led total sanitation" approach which encourages households to build and maintain their own toilets.
Even after all these efforts, open defecation remains a norm for many in the region and the solution on the ground is far from being resolved, the chief regional officer says.
At Okapale settlement near Ondangwa, resident Aune Iindongo says since no public toilets are available, she and her neighbours rely on open spaces.
"When it rains, the water in the Oshanas gets contaminated with our waste. We wish the town council or anyone could volunteer to construct proper toilets for us because our lives are in danger. At night, we are forced to use buckets because it's dark out and risky as well," she says.
At Ehenye village, Ndeyapo Nuunyango says while a few households have been assisted with pit latrines, many others have not.
"Those with means to construct their own toilets have done so, however, many households are still struggling to construct proper sanitation facilities and when nature calls they are forced to use nearby open spaces. Open defecation spreads diseases especially when it rains because people catch fish in the streams and some use the contaminated water for their household needs. The government needs to come to our aid," she says.
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Oshikoto governor Sacky Kathindi says about 100 precast toilets are currently under construction across 10 constituencies, with 90 underground units already distributed at Omatope village.
Last year alone, the Oshikoto Regional Council allocated N$4.1 million to rural sanitation, building more than 180 toilets across the region.
