ILOILO – The municipality of Pototan in the 3rd District achieved the “zero open defecation” (ZOD) status, according to the Provincial Health Office (PHO).
Engineer Emma Conato, sanitation inspector of PHO, said Pototan will officially be granted with a ZOD certificate today, June 7.
“We started in 2015 and started with standard verification. We verified every village in Pototan,” Conato said.
All 50 villages in the town had undergone validation conducted by a team composed of representatives from the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office, and Municipal Planning and Development Office.
Introducing the ZOD program to residents was “challenging,” Conato said, noting the changing “customary” of the locals.
“They are used to open-defecation. But we were motivated to change their attitude. It’s a matter of teaching them to improve their way of life,” she said.
Efforts to ensure that all households have access to safe toilets were coupled with information dissemination.
Residents were taught that open defecation could expose people to diarrhea, cholera, and other waterborne diseases, intestinal worm infections, and malnutrition and stunting of children.
Aside from access to safe toilet, Conato said residents were also taught basic sanitation practices like proper hand washing.
Pototan is the 17th local government unit (LGU) in the province to be declared with a ZOD status.
The 16 other LGUs with the ZOD status are Banate, Barotac Viejo, Batad, Bingawan, Igbaras, Janiuay, Lemery, Miag-ao, Mina, New Lucena, Oton, Passi City, San Miguel, San Rafael, San Joaquin, and Tigbauan.
The PHO is working for Iloilo province to achieve the ZOD status by 2020. (With PNA/PN)
