PLANNING FOR PUBLIC CONVENIENCE IN NASARAWA MAIN MARKET NASARAWA L.G.A

PLANNING FOR PUBLIC CONVENIENCE IN NASARAWA MAIN MARKET NASARAWA L.G.A

CHAPTER ONE

1. INTRODUCTION

Public convenience systems are crucial infrastructure necessary for the social well-being and practical operation of a city. The provision of public sanitary facilities has implications for public and individual health, transportation, crime preventions, urban design, economic and cultural development and social equity. Public Conveniences i.e. Toilets, Bathrooms, Urinals and Comfort rooms are provided largely in public places and institutions. These places include Markets, Motor Parks, Religious institutions, Mosques, Churches, Filling stations, Hospitals, Airports, Sporting grounds, Schools etc. The right of citizenship access to appropriate public toilets emerged in the west with the rise of modernity.

Prior to the period of enlightenment in Britain, urinating, and defecating was a public act, taking place not only in fields and gardens, but also in the streets. By the mid-19th century however, public toilets were built using the public purse to provide citizens the means to urinate or defecate in public while away from home. It is a long time however since Britain led the world with such public health foresight. In most African cities, public conveniences are lacking in terms of quality and quantity, thus residents and visitors are often left wondering where to “go”. There is therefore a real quality of life crisis looming for all of us – especially the young and older members of society. There is a real concern about both the quantity and quality of public conveniences provision in Nasarawa town and the associated problems this causes for the residents and visitors to the town.

Poor provision impacts increasingly on public health and environmental issues such as street cleanliness, social disorder and infections associated with poorly maintained, or nonexistent of public sanitary facilities. The provision of public conveniences is an important factor in delivering a people friendly environments for both residents and visitors; that is free from communicable diseases attributable to poor sanitation. This study tends tocarry out an assessment of the location of public convenience system and its associated problem in Nasarawa main market.

1.1       STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

Access to decent and clean general facilities is a basic need (UNICEF, 2014) as well as a right (UN, 2010; WHO, 2011). The rights approach to the provision of public toilets recognized that public sanitary facilities are a right and its denial constitutes a gross violation of human rights (UN, 2010).Despite being a fundamental right, UNICEF (2014) observed that almost one-third of the world’s population suffer on a daily basis from lack of access to clean, hygienic and functioning toilets. The situation is more worrisome in Nigeria, where UNICEF (2016) citing World Bank (2012) noted that: Around 46 million people in Nigeria defecate in the open. Another 56million people are estimated to be added during the next ten years. This means a total of 102 million people or 20 million households should have access to a toilet and use it. Around 122,000 Nigerians and 87,000 children under the age of 5 die each year from diarrhoea; nearly 90% is directly attributed to water, sanitation and hygiene problems. A comprehensive review of 21 studies, covering several countries found a 36% reduction in diarrhoeal morbidity due to improved sanitation. Nigeria loses N455bn annually due to poor sanitation. Goal 7 (target 3) of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) aimed at halving the proportion of the universal population without sustainable access to clean and safe drinking water and sanitation by 2015 (UN, 2000). Similarly, Goal 6 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all (Dodds, 2015). What this means is that sanitation has continued to occupy the forefront in global effort towards sustainable development. Nasarawa main market is not exempted from this global sustainability agenda. It is against this problems that this study seeks assess the location of public convenience system and its associated problem in Nasarawa main market.

1.2       AIM

The aim of this dissertation is to assess the location of public convenience system and its associated problem Nasarawa main market and garage inclusive with the view of making recommendations for improvement.

1.3       OBJECTIVES

The aim would be achieved through the following objectives.

1. To review the concept of sanitation and sanitary facilities and the planning requirements for their provision.
2. To examine the existing situation
3. To identify the associated problems
4. To review distribution pattern of public sanitary facilities in Nasarawa main market
5. Evaluation of available public sanitary facilities in Nasarawa main market.
6. To identify and recommend possible solutions to these problems.
7. To prepare a plan

1.4    SCOPE

The scope of the study covers the assessment of the location of public convenience system and its associated problem in Nasarawa main market with garage inclusive.

1.5      LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

In the cause of embarking on this research several challenges where encountered some of these where:

Lack of detail information from the managers in charge of the public convenience for some security reasons. Lack of good communication skills town which delayed the research process, lack of landscape standard guiding landscape planning in institution of learning.

1.6       JUSTIFICATION  

This project will be beneficial to the Nasarawa town and its environment, for it will help create a healthy and satisfactory public convenience systems voids of any form of hazard associated open defecation and poorly planned and maintained public convenience system.

1.6       HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

GEOGRAPHICAL AND HISTORICAL SETTING /LOCATION

LOCATION

Nigeria is situated in the shores of the gulf of the guinea from about –  of the equator, a latitude stretch of about  and  of the Greenwich meridian. Nigeria has a total land area of about 923,300sqkm, it stretch for about 1,100km from the north to south. It is bounded in the south by Atlantic Ocean, to the west Benin republic and to the east by the Cameroon while up north by the Niger republic. It has a population of about 140 million as witnessed by the 2006 census.

1.6.1   NATIONAL SETTING

Nasarawa state was created in 1996 out of neighboring plateau state. Located in the north central region of Nigeria, it is bordered on the west by the Federal Capital Territory, the north by Kaduna state, and the south by Benue and Kogi state, on the East by Plateau and Taraba states. The state has the land mass of 28,735sqkm with diverse range of ethnic groups indigenous to the state. According to the 2006 census a little less than 2 million people reside in the state. The state has 13 local government councils and the capital located in Lafia.

1.6.2   REGIONAL SETTING

Nasarawa state is one of the 36 states of Nigeria. It has a central located within the middle belt region of the country. Nasarawa state live between latitude 7° w and 9°37E of the Green which meridian.

1.6.3   LOCAL SETTING

The location of Nasarawa local government area is approximately 8 east longitude and 8.5 north latitude. It is about 40Km south of  Keffi Nasarawa local government is bounded  on the north by Keffi local government area, to the west by federal capital territory while to the south by Doma local government area respectively.

            1.7       PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS                                                                         

1.7.1   CLIMATE

 This refers to the weather condition of the place over a long period of time, normally an average of 35 to 40 years. The climate include: temperature, rainfall, humidity, wind, sun radiation, cloud cover etc.

1.7.2   TEMPERATURE                                                                                                       

Within this area is averagely about . The possibility of the temperature increasing to a maximum degree centigrade is negative

1.7.3   VEGETATION

Generally, the vegetation of Nasarawa State is characterized by savannah vegetation with canopy trees, shrubs and grass layers. The free stratum is less dense than that of the savannah woodland but more substantial than the shrub savannah.

1.7.4   SOIL AND GEOLOGY

The geographical area is rocky. These rocky are igneous rock. The soil part of the region is good.

1.7.5   WIND

The two pronounced air masses experienced in study area in the north-east trade winds (tropical continental winds) from the Sahara desert in winter (September-April) which is moist. South west monsoon winds which blows from the Atlantic Ocean and brings rain with it.

1.7.6   HUMIDITY

Reference to Nasarawa, relative humidity is high compare to what is experienced in most Northern States; this is because of effects of the altitude.

1.7.7   RAINFALL

Nasarawa state in general experience two season yearly. The wet and dry season which begins from April to October with the highest peaks in August/September. The study areas have an average rainfall of 1500mm.

1.7.8   DRAINAGE

The nature of drainage in the areas is influenced and shaped by the topography of the area. This is to say that the drainage allows the pattern of slope in the area.

1.7.9   TOPOGRAPHY

The topography of an area determines the characteristics, size and complexities of any settlement, the topography of Nasarawa can be described as being relatively flat at the Centre core of the village and surrounded by rocks.