BY SAMIE WAIKORI

November 19th was designated by the United Nation as “World Toilet Day”. A day given with special attention to inspire action to solve the global sanitation crisis.

Also, to raise awareness about the 3.4 billion people globally without safe toilets and to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6) for water and sanitation for all by 2030.

As member of this world’s governing body, Solomon Islands has this year joined the international community in observance of this important day.

For Solomon Islands, this day was given prominence to highlight the enduring need for safe and accessible toilets and the importance of building climate-resilience sanitation system.

The national government through the Ministry of Health and Medical Services, with the funding and technical supports from DFAT and UNICEF have been pouring support into water and sanitation programs in the country.

While the effort is acknowledged, there is long way to go to attain the SDG 6.2, aimed to eliminate open defecation and ensure universal access to basic sanitation by 2030.

A challenge for Solomon Islands, with regards to the current record it holds for being with the highest rate of Open Defecation in the Pacific region.

A sad revelation, not only exposing country’s struggle to accomplish SDG 6.2, but would also have reverberating impacts on essential sectors in the country, particularly tourism.

A brief detail of the report prepared by RWASH through collaboration with UNICEF and DFAT on sanitation in Solomon Islands is as follow;

• Approximately 65m percent of Solomon Islands population – equivalent to 535,000 people do not have access to basic sanitation.
• Following this, an alarming rate of about 371,000 people, approximately 65 percent of the population still practice open defecation.
• That Solomon Islands rates as the highest for open defecation in the Pacific region.

According to the report, since 2015, access to basic sanitation has increased by 5 percentage, from 30 percent in 2015 to 35 percent in 2024.

At least there is progress, although it is not in line with what is expected from the country.

Nou community on Santa Cruz Island in Temotu province is one of the communities among the population captured in the report.

The community, like other rural communities in the country still practice open defecation. Nou, is a coastal community and uses the shore to defecate.

This same sea is the very sea they depend on for sea-food, washing and other used, according to Daniel Sawa, a young father from Nou village.

“Sanitation has been an ongoing issue for us. As I could remember, no time in the distant past we had proper sanitation.

“The way we lived, especially with regards to sanitation, has no difference to how our grand-parents lived.

“We still practice open defecation – the same way they did, thought it doesn’t match the current situation,” he said.

Sawa said, despite then, the issue has mixture of implications on the community ranging from health to degradation of human and cultural dignities.

Nou community has been without basic water supply and sanitation – two basic necessities that are important to any modern society.

The absence of these basic services has triggered health issues such as diarrhoea. According to Sawa, diarrhoea is a common disease in Nou, and it has high possibility to link directly to the status of sanitation in their community.

He said practice of open defecation has degraded their human dignity. Sawa admitted that it brings them shame and lowers their pride.

Sawa added that the issue also degrades their cultural dignity. Culturally, this business should be dealt with at a secluded space.

“Although, we have designated places along the coast, or some places are just used by both male and female – they are just open spaces and expose to the public.

“Sometimes you go there and find yourself with somebody who is also busying with the business, which may cause cultural problem if she’s a female.

“We encountered such problems in the past and it has negative impact on our unity as a community,” he said.

Moreover, Sawa said the sea they used to defecate is also the sea they collect seafood for their sustenance.

“We collect seashells, fish, wash and our children swim in the same sea, which is vastly unhygienic and germ-infested that could jeopardise our health,” he said.

Sawa said sanitation is a silent health issue that has all along been drawn with less attention, despite its importance to the society.

He said being one of the communities without proper or even basic sanitation, Nou village is ready to work with the national government, donor partners and stakeholders to address the issue of open defecation in their community.

*Reporting for this story was supported by Pacific Media Assistance Scheme (PACMAS)

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