The Plateau Environmental Protection and Sanitation Agency (PEPSA) has commenced the prosecution of households in Jos South Local Government Area over failure to provide functional toilet facilities.
The enforcement exercise was carried out simultaneously in Iyoh Gyel, Rankyen Gafang and Rahol Kak communities in Gyel District, following what the agency described as about two years of sensitisation, sanitation education, community engagement and follow-up efforts.
The exercise was led by the Director of Enforcement alongside sanitation officers, mobile courts, security personnel and Volunteer Hygiene Promoters (VHPs).
PEPSA said affected households had previously been served abatement notices and given technical and physical support to enable them to construct functional toilet facilities.
The latest enforcement followed a final seven-day compliance notice issued by the agency earlier in September to households in Jos South that still lacked functional toilets. PEPSA had warned that prosecution would begin after the expiration of the seven-day period for households that remained non-compliant.
PEPSA Gives Households Final Warning
Under the Sustainable Urban and Rural Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (SURWASH) Programme, PEPSA said it had engaged households and community leaders, conducted public education and advocated for household-led provision of toilet facilities.
The agency also said it provided direct assistance to vulnerable households that faced difficulties providing toilets, including constructing new facilities and upgrading existing ones.
Despite these interventions, PEPSA said some households continued to operate without functional toilet facilities, prompting the agency to move from sensitisation to enforcement.
During the latest exercise, residents found to be in default were reportedly given the option of paying a fine or being confined until the fine was paid. They were also required to sign undertakings to construct functional toilets within seven days.
The agency said the enforcement would continue in the affected communities as part of efforts to improve sanitation and curb open defecation.
PEPSA Targets Open Defecation
PEPSA has linked the enforcement drive to the need to eliminate open defecation and improve public health in Plateau State.
Poor sanitation and open defecation can increase exposure to diseases, including diarrhoeal illnesses, cholera and typhoid, particularly where human waste contaminates water and the surrounding environment.
The agency has therefore urged households that have not yet complied with sanitation requirements to construct and maintain functional toilets.
The enforcement comes after PEPSA Director-General Samuel Nathaniel Dapiya previously stressed that the agency had exhausted several voluntary compliance measures.
“PEPSA has engaged, educated, advocated and provided support where necessary. The next step is enforcement,” Dapiya said in the agency’s earlier notice.
He added: “Every household MUST have a functional toilet. Compliance is no longer optional.”
The ongoing exercise marks a shift in Plateau State’s sanitation campaign from public education and voluntary compliance to legal enforcement against households that fail to meet the required sanitation standards.
