Ever Unhygienic Zikites…

Dear Zikites, let us face it squarely and tell ourselves the blunt truth about one of the major improprieties we have become accustomed to. It is not unnoticeable that there is a growing deficiency in the level of hygiene in the hall overtime This is not just something a section of the hall is guilty of. From A block and its high number of freshmen to the most elderly parts of D block, this unhygienic trait has persisted. What is even more despicable is the way this habit has been normalized and its consequences ignored.

This anomaly is not hard to decipher. If you cook often, you’d definitely have to use water; and in the course of that you wash plates, rinse the food you want to cook and in the process accumulate dirty water. But you don’t even have to be a regular cook to be guilty of this unhygienic trait. Your usage of water at all in your room and your proximity to the balcony makes you a possible suspect. Well, I speak of no other habit than pouring water off the balcony onto the front of your block below.

The evidence of this impropriety is observable mostly in Blocks B and C, where the grasses in front of the block appear messy and unappealing due to constant pouring of water and food sediments. And before you throw in the argument of wetting the grasses, thank God for rain. It is important to consider the effects of this anti-environmental behavior.

Mosquitoes have always been known to breed in stagnant water. This will inevitably result in the increment of mosquitoes in the rooms. So, even after you’ve bought new nets for your windows and secure your doors every night, the more you maintain the habitat for mosquitoes the higher the tendency of malaria infections. Aside from the possibilities of malaria infection, other health hazard that could creep in can combine with underlying conditions to cause episodes of headache and nausea. Your journeys to Jaja might not be ending anytime soon.

Air pollution is also another environmental hazard caused by stagnant water. This is especially so if you are particularly sensitive to such offensive odour. Aesthetics is another factor affected by throwing waste water off the balcony. You would agree with me that you would feel some form repulsion if you have to walk on the grasses in front of Blocks B and C. Perhaps you might have become accustomed to the sight but you’ll surely feel a little embarrassed if you were to lead your babe across or by those grasses.

When interviewed on the lingering issue of the stagnant water and unkempt balconies, one of the cleaners expressed dissatisfaction over how it has been very difficult for her to carry out her duties effectively. “The water does not just disfigure my work after serious cleaning, there is also the accumulation of dirts that I cannot sweep or pack due to how they have been stuck to the ground from the water poured”, she lamented.

Also, some B-Blockites, residing on the ground floor, complained about how the stagnant water have been affecting them through the bad odour and the infestation of some insects like mosquitoes, cockroaches, and wall gecko in their rooms. Some of the ground floor occupants alleged that those in upper floors are responsible for the constant pouring of water.

However, there is no problem without solution and the first of it will definitely be individual. Zikites should restrain from waste water into the drainage and grasses to reduce water stagnation. Sinks made available in the kitchenettes should be used. Also, where the waste water has a lot of food sediments. It is advisable to dispose them in bushes far away from the blocks. Floor reps should also increase campaign on proper waste disposal practices and prioritise the aesthetics of their blocks. This will complement the hall-beautification objectives of the Executive Council.

                                                                                                                   by Faith Ẹdun