Assessment of Sanitation Facilities in Market Buildings in Onitsha, Anambra State

Market buildings serve as critical economic and social infrastructure in Nigerian cities, yet the sanitation facilities within them are frequently inadequate, creating public health hazards and poor working conditions for traders and visitors. This study assesses the sanitation facility provision, condition, and management at three major market buildings in Onitsha, namely Onitsha Main Market, Oguta Road Market, and Bridge-Head Market, which collectively serve an estimated daily population exceeding one hundred thousand persons. A structured audit checklist examined toilet provision ratios relative to user population, toilet block structural condition, water availability, drainage adequacy, waste disposal systems, and facility management arrangements. Structured interviews were conducted with fifty traders and fifteen market management committee members. Results indicate a gross shortfall in toilet provision, with the most under-provided facility recording one toilet unit per twelve hundred market users against the WHO recommended maximum of one per twenty users. All three markets showed significant structural deterioration in existing toilet blocks, with sixty percent of assessed units requiring major repair or reconstruction. Water supply to toilet blocks was intermittent at all sites, with most facilities relying on purchased water delivered in jerry cans. None of the three markets had a formal facility management contract in place. Traders linked poor sanitation to health complaints including gastrointestinal illness. The study recommends urgent capital investment in sanitation infrastructure, formalised facility management through trader levy systems, and a review of the Onitsha Master Plan to include minimum sanitation standards for market buildings. Keywords: sanitation facilities, market buildings, Onitsha, public health, market architecture.