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The Bauchi State Environmental Protection Agency (BASEPA) has finalized plans to implement a new compulsory environmental sanitation initiative.
Dr. Muhammad Mahmud Bose, the Director General of BASEPA, made this announcement on Thursday during a meeting with members of the Bauchi-based Civil Society Organization (CSO), Journalists for Public Health and Development Initiative (J4PD), at his office.
Dr. Bose explained that the agency has replaced the previous mandatory sanitation exercise with a more community-driven approach, known as the Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) strategy, to promote cleaner and healthier surroundings.
Previously, the state observed the last Saturday of every month as environmental sanitation day, but this practice did not have the desired impact, as many people would remain inactive at home during the exercise. Under the new plan, BASEPA will identify specific communities and provide them with the necessary tools to clean their environments, empowering them to take responsibility for their surroundings.
He noted, “We observed that during the monthly sanitation exercise, many people just stay at home, waiting for the exercise to end so they can go out. Instead of blocking roads, we decided to bring the exercise directly to the people.”
The new initiative will also focus on mitigating deforestation by including tree planting as part of the sanitation process.
Dr. Bose praised the Journalists for their efforts in promoting environmental protection, particularly their tree-planting campaign.
He emphasized that public health and development must go hand in hand, stressing the need to minimize environmental degradation while striving for societal progress.
The Director General also highlighted the state’s initiatives to tackle climate change, including climate-resilient fecal sludge management. He reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to collaborating with J4PD in areas such as afforestation.
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