At least 505,410 households of the 1,330,113 million households are still practicing open defecation according to reports by the district health departments.

The practice is very common across all the eights districts in the former war-ravaged region including Gulu, Omoro, Nwoya, Kitgum, Lamwo, Pader ,Agago district Amuru.

Open defecation refers to practice where people go out in the fields, bushes, forests, open water bodies or other open spaces other than toilets.

 Okello Apollo Kagwa, the Amuru District Secretary Health, has attributed the low pit latrine coverage in the region to the persistent heavy downpour which has destroyed several pit latrines in the village.

He said other households are without pit latrines because in the past Acholi community didn’t have latrines and defecated in the bushes.

Yoweri Idiba, the Assistant District Health Officer (DHO) in charge of Environmental Health, said open defecation has led to the outbreak of diarrhea and intestinal worm infection among both children and women.

Isaac Odong, a Public Health Expert, has urged the district health departments in the region to sensitize the community on the dangers of open defecation and launch crack down operation against those failing to construct pit latrine to avoid the risk of disease outbreak.

Access to sanitation has been essential for human dignity, health and the wellbeing.

Poor sanitation cripples’ national development, workers produce less, live shorter lives and invest less and are less able to send their children to school according to UNICEF.

A World Bank Water Sanitation programme report released in 2012 indicates that poor sanitation costs the country at least Shs389 billion annually.

The money lost in three years can meet the cost of building the pit- latrines the country needs, which stands at Shs1.3 trillion.

Depending on depth and usage, each latrine takes not less than five years to fill, experts from Water Aid say.

 Caption: A newly constructed pit latrine at  Olinga Primary school