AN ASSESSMENT ON THE UTILISATION OF SANITATION FACILITIES IN THE ATTAINMENT OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOAL 6 IN TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS OF PLATEAU STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The sanitation situation in tertiary institutions of Plateau State is a peculiar one. Students were plagued with outbreaks of water and sanitation related diseases in recent times. The main objective of the study therefore is to assess the utilization of sanitation facilities and the attainment of SDG in tertiary institutions in Plateau State. The study adopted an observation and survey research design methodology, which was carried out with structured questionnaire as an instrument for data collection on a sample size of 400 respondents, randomly selected from Plateau State tertiary institutions. The survey was carried out in selected tertiary institutions of the three senatorial district of the state through purposive sampling. The data collected was analyzed using simple percentages and frequencies. The study found out that borehole is the most functional source of water as indicated by 49% of the respondents and bathrooms are the most functional sanitation facilities as indicated by 79% of the respondents. Also 57% of the students do not use toilet facilities provided by the institution, 83.75% of the students do not wash their hands at hand washing stations of the institution and 94.25% do not use anal cleaning materials provided by the institution. The study concludes that there is low utilization of sanitation facilities which is worsened by non-functional state of the facilities. This is inimical to good health, hence impeding the attainment of SDGs 6 in tertiary institutions in Plateau State. The provision of adequate sanitation facilities and regular monitoring is also recommended.