Public toilets raise fears of new outbreak in Lagos communities

FEAR of an impending major health crisis is spreading through a densely populated stretch of Lagos State, home to the famous Mile 12 Market, one of the largest markets in the state.

Residents of the affected area, which includes Mile 12, Ibrahim Sanusi Estate and nearby smaller communities, operating under the Mile 12 Community umbrella, are calling on the concerned authorities for immediate assistance.

The problem facing members of the community is the alleged illegal operation of public restrooms in their respective neighborhoods in a way that poses a health hazard to thousands of state residents.

Community members are especially worried after witnessing a cholera outbreak, another outbreak is staring them in the face.

In a message to the Saturday Tribune, locals alleged that the unhealthy practice of dumping excrement directly into their waterways has been going on for almost a decade.

The statement reads: "We, as concerned members of the Mile 12 community, are disturbed by the activities taking place in the area regarding the discharge of feces into our waterways. by some people who are determined to make money at the expense of our lives and our well-being.

"The problem is related to the activities of some owners of public toilets. Some are built and others are wooden structures built on the river bank in the area. Those built rarely have a septic tank but rather drain pipes into the river to dump the excrement that some people use for fishing and washing, thus contaminating the water.

"As for the wooden ones, they are built on the river bank and the excrement is also thrown directly into the river.

“It is disturbing, unsanitary and a cause for concern for any sane individual. The community cannot be ransomed by a few individuals. There are about 15 of the said public toilets on the river bank and only one has a pit septic, but the rest either channels the pipe into the river to drain the excrement, or the excrement is thrown directly into the river.

"Just a few weeks ago there was an outbreak of cholera and it was linked to contaminated water in which public toilets played a major role. If the activities continue unabated, unchecked and without stopping, there may be an epidemic disease in prospect.

"I hope and pray that our complaint will be investigated and that necessary action be taken to put an end to the inhumane activities. The river is called Ogun River but we call it Maidan River at Mile 12. C This is the only river there. It comes from Kara in Ogun State to Mile 12, Owode and Ajegunle. There are about 15 of the said public toilets but only one has a septic tank.

“At Adeyeye Street of Mile 12, there are seven public toilets. Three of them are built and four are wooden structures built on the river bank. People pay the sum of N100 to use the structure to defecate directly into the river.As for those built, only one has a septic tank and the other two use piped pipes to evacuate excreta into the river.

“There are other public toilets at Ibrahim Sanusi Estate as well as Mile 12, also made of wood. They have made a business out of it and it has been going on for over 10 years. is that some people fish in the river and do their laundry there."

Saturday grandstand tour

Mile 12 in Kosofe Local Government Area is made popular by the market where moderate commodity prices are believed to attract buyers even out of state.

While the market is good news for shoppers, it's a different story for neighborhoods in the community.

A Saturday Tribune trip to Mile 12, on the way to Agiliti, a nearby community in the area, revealed an impending outbreak following the gross dumping of fecal matter and septic tank dumping in the popular river Maidan in the locality.

A stop at the popular Federal Bus Stop and a brief walk down Ibrahim Sanusi Street to Adeleye Street by a Saturday Tribune reporter revealed illegal operation of so-called public toilets on the river bank.

In Adeleye Street at Mile 12, seven public toilets were seen, three of which are built and four made of wooden structures built on the riverside, confirming the protesting residents' claim. The neighborhood is a clear case of poor hygiene.

All the streets in the slum were populated by Hausa/Fulani who use the makeshift toilets daily.

Some of the toilets were built with bricks without a roof while others were built with wooden structures on the river where people pay between N50 and N100 to use the facility. The whole environment was dirty while the unpleasant smell of the river tore through the air.

To find out where the septic tanks of the public wooden toilets were, the re...