In order to prevent the outbreak of diseases and other health problems inside the evacuation centers, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Department of Health (DOH) met with the City Government of Zamboanga and the members of the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Cluster and the Camp Coordination and Camp Management Cluster, and discussed the sanitation and hygiene requirements of the affected persons staying in the evacuation centers especially in JFE Sports Complex.
Additional common latrines will be constructed while the clogged and broken toilets will be fixed and replaced. These will provide the evacuees with the basic sanitation services they needed in the center. “Latrines should be accessible to all people especially women and other vulnerable groups. It should also offer them security and privacy especially for women,” DSWD Assistant Secretary Camilo G. Gudmalin explained.
Moreover, hand washing and bathing facilities will be installed in strategic areas in the evacuation center while, six (6) more water bladders will be set up to increase the water supply not only for drinking but also for cleaning purposes.
Assistant Secretary Gudmalin noted that these will help encourage evacuees, especially children to wash their hands before every meal, as well as, providing them with potable drinking water. “Evacuees and their children should wash their hands with soap and water frequently to reduce the spread of diseases,” he continued.
The construction and enhancement of these facilities will be implemented through the collaboration of the DSWD, DOH, the City Government of Zamboanga, and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
“Improving the water, sanitation and hygiene facilities is one way of preventing the outbreak of diseases, but hygiene promotion is also equally important,” Assistant Secretary Gudmalin explained. Likewise, the DSWD will integrate hygiene promotion in the Family Development Sessions (FDS) where small groups of displaced families are being gathered and taught of various topics such as effective parenting, family relationships, etc. Through the FDS, DSWD Pantawid Pamilya Municipal Links will teach them on proper sanitation and cleanliness which include personal hygiene, food hygiene, proper garbage disposal, and environmental sanitation to maintain the cleanliness in the evacuation center.
He added that close living quarters such evacuation centers increase the amount of contact between people, and toilet facilities are being shared which may spread illnesses to other residents as well as with DSWD staff. “In this case, we need to educate them on sanitation and hygiene for their own good. We also encourage the evacuees to maintain the cleanliness of their living areas in the evacuation centers as a preventive measure against illnesses that are common in evacuation centers,” he said.
The hygiene and sanitation needs in the JFE Sports Complex will be addressed first due to the number of evacuees staying in the said evacuation center. However, hygiene and sanitation interventions for the other evacuation centers will immediately follow. Earlier, the DSWD has already distributed hygiene kits containing soap, detergent, towel and a pail to evacuees in the center. ###