Toilet with taps vital for rural communities

By BRADLEY MARIORI
SAFE toilets with taps are vital for rural health and safety, a community leader says.
John Dupi, from Pupral, Western Highlands, emphasised this when referring to his newly-built toilet with “tippy” tap that was built through a European Union, United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) and PNG Government Wash project.
“In the past, we didn’t know how to build safe and proper toilets even though we had all the necessary bush materials, we thought the bushes were better,” Dupi said.
“Even hand-washing was not a concern for us, we did not know that this was contributing to our sicknesses.
“However, through the EU-Unicef-PNG Government Wash project and its implementing partners’ awareness in our community, we learnt about impacts of our actions. Now, my son knows the importance of hand-washing, sickness does not affect my wife and we don’t have to travel distance for medical assistance constantly.
“I thank the European Union and Unicef for this project that is changing communities and lives.”
Dupi encouraged other communities in the province to build proper and safe toilets like what his community has done.
Dupi’s community, Pupral was recently certified as self-declared open defecation free.