Determinants Sustainability Elimination of Open Defecation in Rural Areas: Case of Bouaflé Department (West Central of Côte d’Ivoire)

Abstract

The department of Bouafle is increasingly faced with health problems related to inadequate family sanitation. This situation creates high risks of high mortality and morbidity. In order to help significantly reduce these risks, EAA has initiated a project to promote family sanitation, ecological sanitation latrines (EcoSan) and the reuse of its by-products in agriculture in several villages in this department. The objective of this study is to assess the sustainability of ecological sanitation in rural areas in the said department. In order to achieve this objective, in addition to the literature review, this study was part of a mixed approach mobilizing related techniques and tools. The results obtained revealed that full latrine coverage and hand hygiene are not effective in all households.The factors contributing to the maintenance of the status of end of defecation in the open air in rural areas, especially the use of by-products in agriculture, are problematic. However, some of the households using the hygienized human excreta (HHE) show that crops fertilized by HHEs grow faster, the leaves of the plants are greener, have larger grains and fruits with a good taste when ripe. In addition, they control several pathogens, particularly Swollen Shoot in cocoa plantations.