52 more toilets built in Zambo City evacuation site

MANILA, Philippines - An international humanitarian organization whose advocacy is fighting malnutrition has constructed additional 52 emergency pit latrines and 10 bathing stations at a sports complex in Zamboanga City for the thousands of families displaced by flooding and the recent standoff between government security forces and Moro National Liberation Front fighters.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said the facilities were set up by the Action Against Hunger, or known internationally as Action Contre la Faim or ACF International, inside the JFE Sports Complex for the use of women and children evacuees.

The additional latrines and bathing stations are committed by the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Cluster to improve the overall cleanliness inside the largest evacuation center set-up in the city, the DSWD added.

The  DSWD will continue to provide food-for-work for the identified marshalls who will take turns in guarding the facilities.  Assigned cleaners will also be provided with food packs.

For her part, Maffy Sibul, ACF International Hygiene Promotion Officer, said the emergency pit latrines can serve up to 50 persons a day.

"The extraction of the wastes from the latrines shall be done three times a week to ensure the cleanliness of the temporary facility.”

She said they they have coordinated with the City General Services Office of Zamboanga for the extraction of the waste.

"Some 34 emergency pit latrines were also constructed for the use of the men-evacuees in a separate area,” Sibul added.

The WASH Cluster is composed of Department of Health as lead agency, United Nations Children’s Fund as co-lead, DSWD, Save the Children, ACF Foundation, International Organization for Migration,  Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Human Development Empowerment Services, Catholic Relief Services, International Committee Disaster Network, and Muslim Human Rights Commission.

The DSWD said the cluster is doing improvements in sanitation facilities in the different zones of the JFE Sports Complex, which still houses 3,423 families.

Similar initiatives are also being done by ACF and other local and international organizations in the other evacuation centers, the DSWD added.