Abstract

Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) approach was an adopted and piloted environmental intervention done at selected communities in southwest Nigeria. The impact of soil and water bacteria contamination on population demography of select communities with operational CLTS was evaluated. Water (n=64) and soil samples (n=64) collected from communities were estimated for total bacteria (TBC) and coliform counts (TCC). More than 1.50×10⁶ CFU/g TBC were estimated in soil samples and TCC >1.5×10⁶ CFU/g were observed in all the communities. TCC indicated a fecal contamination level of more than 0.50×10⁶ CFU/g (p=0.001). More than 10% occurrence rates of Escherichia coli, Klebsiella oxytoca, Citrobacter species and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were recorded in water and soil samples from all the communities and spore formers (B. megaterium and B. subtilis) ranging from 8.0 to 16.67%. Higher rates of participants (98.0%) resided in these communities with 22.4% and 63.0% were of the age ranges 31-40 and 41 to 50 years respectively. Higher rates of 72.6% were male, predominant occupation were farming (68.5%) and trading (15.4%). Level of education and total number of occupants living in houses were significantly associated with the CLTS (p<0.05). The impact of population demography on the environmental sanitation is yet to improve the sanitation in these communities and CLTS implementation.

Key Words: Coliforms, Population demography, Community sanitation, Environmental laws