Assessment of Sanitation Infrastructure and Environmental Health in Informal Settlements of Port Harcourt, Rivers State

This study assesses the state of sanitation infrastructure and its environmental health implications in selected informal settlements of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, South South Nigeria. Port Harcourt's rapid urbanisation has created extensive informal settlements that have grown without planned sanitation provision, creating environmental health risks that disproportionately affect low-income residents. A cross-sectional infrastructure and health survey was conducted in four informal settlements in Diobu, Rumuola, and Borikiri, covering 180 households. Infrastructure assessment inventoried latrine type and condition, proximity to water sources, drainage quality, and solid waste accumulation patterns. Environmental health indicators collected through household surveys included diarrhoeal disease incidence, skin disease frequency, and malaria episodes in the preceding month. Spatial analysis mapped the co-occurrence of sanitation deficits and disease burden. Results show that 54 percent of surveyed households share a pit latrine with more than ten households, and 22 percent rely on open defecation using plastic bags disposed into drainage channels. Potable water sources are located within 15 metres of latrines in 38 percent of cases. Diarrhoeal disease incidence in the preceding month is reported in 29 percent of households, with the highest rates in settlements with the worst sanitation scores. Children under five years in these settlements show the highest disease rates. The study identifies a strong spatial correlation between latrine proximity to water sources and diarrhoeal incidence. Recommendations include an emergency pit latrine upgrade programme prioritising the highest-density settlements and a community hygiene promotion campaign. Keywords: sanitation, informal settlement, environmental health, Port Harcourt, diarrhoeal disease.