A partnership between Saint-Louis (Alsace) and the Boeny region has launched a sanitation project in Ambato-Boeny, where the vast majority of households practice open defecation.
As part of the strengthened cooperation between the commune of Saint-Louis, in Alsace, and the Boeny region, a new partnership agreement has been concluded for the next three years. This partnership is marked by the launch of a sanitation project led by GESCOD (Grand Est Solidarités et Coopérations pour le développement) and the city of Saint-Louis, France.
The launch activities took place from June 29 to July 1 in Ambato-Boeny. They were highlighted by a workshop organized in the communes of Ambato-Boeny and Ambesisika, located in the Ambato-Boeny district.
Regarding the actions taken, a technician explained: “A survey conducted last February in the seventeen fokontany (neighborhoods) that make up the commune of Ambato-Boeny showed that 46% of households do not use latrines. Worse still, 96% of households practice open defecation, with 5,205 tons of excrement spread into the environment annually. Even though sanitary infrastructures, such as public toilets, are available, the pollution leads to numerous diseases including fever, diarrhea, and bilharzia.”
The project aims to better control urban pollution and reduce diseases linked to the lack of sanitation. Following the workshop, several actions were identified, including organizing meetings and awareness campaigns for local neighborhood officials to inform them of the situation and the consequences of pollution. Participants also defined a strategy and developed an action plan to ensure the project’s implementation, which began earlier this month.
“The city of Saint-Louis has been committed since 2010 to working in Madagascar alongside the communes of Ambato-Boeny, which has about 45,000 inhabitants, and Ambesisika, with 15,000 inhabitants. It supports the development of essential services, including access to drinking water, sanitation, and waste management, to sustainably improve the living conditions of the populations,” the project spokesperson indicated.
Before the official launch, a GESCOD delegation, led by the Director General of the Saint-Louis municipal department in Southern Alsace, met with the head of the Boeny region on June 18 at the administrative block in Ampisikina. During this meeting, the GESCOD Director General reiterated the sectors of cooperation with Boeny, which include sanitation, education, waste and water management, public service and finance management, and school exchanges. The future construction of libraries will also be part of the program for the municipalities involved.
Captured & Published at: 2026-07-08 06:43:03 (Madagascar Local Time EAT)
Original Source: https://www.lexpress.mg/2026/07/ambato-boeny-la-defecation-lair-libre.html