The systems imperative for SDG WASH success

Patrick Moriarty, CEO of IRC (credit IRC)
There has been growing recognition in recent years that improvements in water, sanitation and hygiene provision are best secured by using a systems-based approach. Patrick Moriarty makes the case for wider progress.

It is clear that making sure every man, woman and child on the planet has a safe source of water and a safely managed toilet by 2030 will require a monumental global effort. This is the case despite the international community’s support for water and sanitation over many years achieving mixed results. In recent years, this has fed a growing belief in the need for a new approach – an approach known as WASH systems strengthening.

The acronym WASH – water, sanitation and hygiene – encapsulates a main element of good hygiene practice. Broadly speaking, the group of people and organisations most comfortable with using WASH to describe their ‘sector’ and work are those focused outside of the more formal, mainstream public utility provision of drinking water and sanitation services. Typically, these organisations work in rural areas, smaller towns and informal settlements. The WASH systems agenda does have things to say to the utility end of service provision, but it has much more to say to the informal world of WASH.

The WASH systems agenda has grown out of concern that, despite reasonable progress under the Millennium Development Goals, something is not really working in WASH. Headline figures for coverage are largely moving in the right direction, but they are doing so too slowly – and the quality and sustainability of the services delivered are too often inadequate. A widely shared guesstimate has around a third of water supply infrastructure in sub-Saharan Africa not working at any given time. More detailed research paints a bleaker picture still, with norms for reliability, ease of access and, especially, quality at point of use too often missed. This means that, in practice, the majority of people living in rural areas and informal settlements do not have access to safe or adequate water or sanitation, and so are deprived of their human rights.

In practice, the majority of people living in rural areas and informal settlements do not have access to safe or adequate water or sanitation

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पूर्ण सरसफाइ उन्मुख गाउँपालिका घोषणा गर्न जल कचहरी, १० बुँदे प्रतिबद्धता

कालिकोट : पलाँता गाउँपालिकालाई पूर्ण सरसफाइ उन्मुख गाउँपालिका घोषणा गर्न दोस्रो पटक १० बुँदे प्रतिबद्धता सहित जलकचहरी कार्यक्रम सम्पन्न भएको छ । गाउँपालिकाले खानेपानी सरसफाइ र स्वच्छताका क्षेत्रमा रहेका समस्याहरुको खोजी गरी समाधान गर्ने उद्देश्यले बर्षमा दुई पटक जलकचहरी कार्यक्रम गर्दै आएको छ ।

जनप्रतिनिधि, कर्मचारी, खानेपानी सरसफाइ र स्वच्छता क्षेत्रमा कार्यरत संघ संस्था र स्थानीयको सहभागितामा जलकचहरी गरेको हो । पलाँता गाउँपालिकाले २०७४ को चैत्र ४ गते खानेपानी सरसफाइ र स्वच्छता क्षेत्रमा सुधार गर्न ७ बुँदे प्रतिबद्धता जाहेर गरेको थियो ।

के छ त प्रतिबद्धतामा ?

१. खानेपानी तथा सरसफाइ प्रबर्द्धनका सवालमा गाउँपालिकाले कम्तीमा बर्षमा २ पटक जलकचहरी गर्न प्रतिबद्ध छौं ।

२. किर्डाक नेपाल/वाटर एडको सहयोग एवं सहजीकरणमा पलाँता गाउँपालिकाको एकीकृत उत्थानशील खानेपानी सरसफाइ तथा स्वच्छता रणनैतिक योजना २०७५ भित्र निर्माण गरी कार्यान्वयन गर्ने गाउँपालिका प्रतिवद्ध छ ।

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Thriving toilet economy of India’s financial capital

Figures speak for themselves in India’s most populous city. Census 2011 data revealed that nearly 42% of Mumbai’s total population of nearly 1.3 crore, i.e. nearly 55 lakh people, live in slums and are thereby excluded from some of the most basic amenities — including guaranteed access to safe and clean toilets and water.

In 2011, when Jeremy Clarkson, the presenter of BBC’s hit auto show, Top Gear, lampooned the state of sanitation in India by driving around prime cities in his lavatory-fitted Jaguar, the show attracted widespread condemnation. Clarkson was accused of being racist by disgruntled Indians from around the world, whose fragile sensibilities were hurt by the unexpected and ill-humoured exposé that uncovered India’s repulsive reality. It even led to diplomatic outrage, with the Indian High Commission in London demanding an apology from the BBC for making India the butt of such “tasteless toilet humour.”

That a large section of India’s population — both rural and urban — is forced to defecate in the open because of the lack of basic sanitation facilities, is a fact, which has become so obvious, that we have become inured to it. So much so, that it disturbs our collective conscience only when a foreigner makes it the focus of global ridicule. Sadly, even this occasional outrage is never focussed on the real issue, never followed by decisive action, as we tend to close our noses and look away, leaving crores of Indians to continue to lead a life of indignity. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s flagship Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), has without any doubt seen India make rapid progress since 2014, but we are still a long way from the cherished goal of making the country open defecation-free (ODF). Like its predecessors, the focus of SBM too, is squarely on toilet construction without considering community participation and inculcating a sense of ownership among the users.

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Sanitary pads and panties: Rohingya women working to help others

Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh - In the world's largest refugee camp, dozens of Rohingya women work diligently, their small factory a hub of activity; they're making sanitary pads and women's underwear to be distributed to Rohingya refugee women like them.

The one-room factory near Kutupalong refugee camp is buzzing, the quiet chatter of conversation barely discernible over whirring sewing machines set up in rows. Workers crouch on the floor, drawing patterns with white chalk on black fabric stretched down the middle of the room.

Others cut fabric, sew and iron sanitary napkins.

"It's very much needed for the women," Hasina Begum, the factory's supervisor told Al Jazeera, referring to the washable and reusable napkins.

"If they do not use them and rely instead on dirty cloths, they will fall sick."

The 40-year-old, who is from Cox's Bazar, said before the production, Rohingya women were afflicted with a number of diseases including leukorrhea, gonorrhoea and other vaginal infections.

"We are distributing these products to women and also instructing them on how to use them," she said.

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Harassment, lack of toilets cause pre-term births in India

Water scarcity, harassment, lack of toilets – a new study has identified some of these factors as reasons for pre-term births in India.

The study from the University of Iowa says that women who spend more time fetching water, use a shared latrine, and endure harassment are more apt to give birth to a pre-term or low-birth weight babies. The findings by researchers in the University of Iowa College of Public Health came from a study that examines the complex relationships between water and sanitation access and social conditions on birth outcomes among women in India.

Globally, preterm birth (PTB) and low infant birth weight (LBW) are leading causes of maternal and child illnesses and death. In low-income countries, the challenges women face to meet their basic water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) needs may be a major contributor to adverse health outcomes.

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Learning from India’s massive, country-wide people’s movement to end open defecation

By Rolf Luyendijk, Executive Director, WSSCC

India may be the world’s largest democracy, with 815 million eligible voters with access to the ballot. Much less a source of pride is the fact that, historically, so few Indians have access to a toilet. This situation is changing fast, however.

As of 2014, for 550 million people in India with no toilet access, open defecation was widespread. Contamination of soil and water and exposure to disease and illness contrived to arrest all hope of escaping poverty’s grip.

Now, just four years later, the Government of India reports that the number of people in India with access to toilets has grown by 400 million. It is a dramatic change for the better, but how did this happen?

In fact, it has been a long time coming. While leading a non-violent movement for India’s independence from the British in 1947, Mahatma Gandhi spoke about the need to improve hygiene and cleanliness in the country. “Sanitation is more important than political independence,” he said. Last month, in an address on waste management and cleanliness, India’s President Pranab Mukherjee, reiterated Gandhi’s decades old exhortation.

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नगरको फोहोर बटुल्दै युवा

ताप्लेजुङ : फुङलिङ बजारका घर सफा र चिरिच्याट्ट छन् । तर त्यही घर अगाडिको सडक र खाली ठाउँ भने फहोरको थुप्रोले भरिएका र दुर्गन्धित छन् । स्थानीय र यात्रुले जथाभावी फोहोर फाल्दा बजारको शोभा नै हराएको छ । अहिले यही बजार क्षेत्र सरसफाइ गर्न युवाहरू अभियानै बनाएर जुटेका छन् ।

समयको सदुपयोग गर्दै सदरमुकाम फुङलिङका युवा बजार क्षेत्र सुन्दर बनाउन लागिपरेका हुन् । ‘सोसियल युथ गाइज’ नामक समूह बनाएर संस्थागत रूपमै युवाहरूले नगर सरसफाइ अभियानको सरुवात गरेका हुन् । ‘सुन्दर फुङलिङ नगर’ नारा दिएर प्रत्येक महिनाको १ दिन नगर सरसफाइ अभियानको थालनी गरिएको गाइजका सचिव लीलाराज पौडेलले बताए । ‘कति सधैं अरूले गरेनन् मात्र भनेर अर्काकै मुख मात्र ताकेर बस्ने ? ’, पौडेलले भने, ‘आफू बसेको ठाउँ सफा सुन्दर बनाउने दायित्व हाम्रै हो भनेर सुरु गरेका हौं ।’

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सिंगो बस्तीमा १ शौचालय, २ चापाकल

विराटनगर — महानगरका बासिन्दा भएर पनि वडा १६ दरैयाको ऋषिदेव बस्तीमा उज्यालो भुइँमा नखस्दै दिसा गरिसक्नुपर्ने बाध्यता छ । झिसमिसमै लोटी बोकेर झाडीतिर दौडने यहाँका ४५ परिवारको दैनिकी हो । त्यसका अलवा पिउने पानीका लागि चापाकलमा समेत लाइनमा बस्नुपर्छ । उनीहरूका लागि बिजुली बत्ती ‘आकासको फल आँखातरी मर’ भने जस्तै छ । 

बस्तीभरि एक घरमा मात्र शौचालय छ । उनीहरू बिहान झिसमिसमै नजिकको उखु बारीमा शौचालय गर्न पुग्छन् । स्थानीय सोमीलाल ऋषिदेव भन्छन्, ‘उज्यालो भएपछि बस्तीका सवैलाई शौच गर्न समस्या पर्छ । पुरुषलाई शौचालय नभए पनि खासै समस्या पर्दैन । तर महिलालाई भने धेरै असहज हुन्छ ।’बस्तीमा शौचालय नभएकै चाहिँ होइन । गत वर्षको बाढीले सवै घरका शौचालय बगायो । बाढीपछि एउटा संस्थाले शौचालय बनाइदिने भन्दै प्रत्येक घरबाट दुई हजार उठायो । बस्तीकी अगुवा जालसी ऋषिदेवले भनिन्, ‘त्यो संस्थाले तीनवटा रिङमात्र गाडेर छोड्यो ।’ बस्तीमा बाहिरबाट पुग्ने जोकोहीलाई शौच लागे उनीहरू पनि झाडी पुग्नुको विकल्प छैन । 

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[International] 2018 SUSTAINABLE SANITATION, WASTE AND WATER MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE

Dates: 20-23 November 2018
Venue: Cape Town | South Africa
Theme: Optimal sanitation and water management for sustainable globe

The proper and sustainable management of sanitation, waste and water resources is a fundamental goal of the United Nations, as articulated in the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. The management of these resources has a direct bearing on the quality of lives for all, but more especially communities in cities. Freshwater resources are depleting at an alarming rate, contaminated by human waste from industries and households, which compounds the water scarcity problem that currently affects one out of every ten people worldwide. These problems are corroborated by the WHO/UNICEF report of 2017, which highlights that over 2.1 billion people lacked access to safely managed drinking water resources and more than half of the global population (4.5 billion people) lacked safely managed sanitation services. 

Furthermore, in 2017, UNESCO found that nearly 80% of wastewater flows back into the ecosystem without being properly treated. This means that poor solid waste management presents a devastating effect on groundwater. The burden of diseases associated with poor sanitation, water pollution and poor waste management is escalating, manifesting in intestinal nematode infections, lymphatic filariasis, trachoma, schistosomiasis, malaria and other infectious diseases. The World Health Organisation estimates that more than 2.2 million people die from diarrhoea annually.

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Millions Face The Life-Threatening Dangers Of Poor Sanitation

In our ever changing and evolving world, improvements in living conditions are essential. Sanitation is our first line of defense against communicable diseases and epidemics of infectious diseases such as influenza, typhoid, cholera, and more.

And while developed nations tend to have outstanding methods of sanitation and good hygiene practices, developing nations still lose millions of lives every year because of poor or non-existent sanitation systems, according to the World Bank (2017). But knowing generally about the problem doesn’t really help you understand just how bad the situation really is. In order to move toward change, a clear-eyed view of the problem is essential. Here’s what you really need to know.

The Stark Lack of Basic Sanitation Around The World

Modern sanitation facilities are vital to public health. And while access to sanitary facilities has increased dramatically in the past twenty years, nearly 2.3 billion people still don’t have toilets or access to upgraded latrines. Thankfully, the General Assembly of UN declared access to safe drinking water and modern sanitation as a human right in 2010. International efforts to help provide safe and accessible drinking water and sanitation are underway.

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How to Improve Sanitation Across an Entire City: the Case of Visakhapatnam

Half of the one billion people in the world who still defecate in the open live in India. Poor sanitation in India is not just a rural issue: at least 157 million urban poor Indians lack access to decent toilets and one in 10 deaths in India are related to poor sanitation.

The port city of Visakhapatnam, also known as Vizag, is the largest city and an industrial center in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Water & Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP) has just completed a three-year programme in this city, funded by USAID, which has made a major difference to the lives of 250,000 residents and created a model for how cities in India can make rapid strides to improve sanitation.

At World Water Week in Stockholm, WSUP will talk about the conclusion of this highly successful project and how its experiences can inform future work towards achieving universal access to sanitation in India.

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11 key lessons about water, sanitation and hygiene in schools

When children have access to safe water, toilets and soap for handwashing at school, they have a better environment to study, to learn and to realize their full potential.

When schools have safe water, toilets and soap for handwashing, children have a healthy learning environment, and girls are more likely to attend when they are on their period.

Children who learn about safe water, sanitation and hygiene habits at school can reinforce positive life-long behaviours in their homes and their communities. However, millions of children go to school every day in unsafe learning environments, with no drinking water, no proper toilets, and no soap for washing their hands.

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जनकपुरमा फोहोरैफोहोर

जनकपुर — यतिबेला जनकपुर सहरको फोहरमैला व्यवस्थापन र सरसफाइको विषय जनकपुरधाम उपमहानगरपालिकाको निम्ति मात्र होइन, प्रदेश सरकार र सङ्घीय सरकारलाई समेत चुनौती बनेको छ । वर्षेनी लाखौं स्वदेशी तथा विदेशी पर्यटक आउने जनकपुरधामको मुख्यबजार, चोक, गल्ली, ढल, सडक किनारा, फुटपाथ, जताततै फोहरका डङ्गुर छन् ।


धार्मिक तथा सांस्कृतिक महत्व बोकेको जनकपुर सहर घुम्न आउनेहरुको पहिलो नजर फोहर मैलामा पर्ने गरेको छ । फोहर मैला व्यवस्थापन गर्न नसक्दा जनकपुरवासी राजनीतिज्ञ, बुद्धिजीवी, नागरिक समाज, सरकारी तथा गैरसरकारी निकायको शिर निहुरिने अवस्था बन्न थालेको छ । सहरवासी, बजार, पसल, होटल, लज, डेरावाला, स्थानीय बासिन्दा र व्यवसायीले प्लास्टिक, कागजका टुक्रा, फलफूल तरकारीका बोक्रालगायत अधिकांश फोहर सडक किनारा, चोक, गल्ली, फुटपाथ, ढल, नालीमा फाल्ने गरेका छन् ।

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प्रदेश राजधानीमा खुला शाैच : दुर्गन्धित बन्दै उपमहानगर

जनकपुरधाम : जनकपुर उपमहानगरपालिकाको मेयर पदमा निर्वाचित लालकिशोर साहले कार्यभार सम्हालेको भोलिपल्टै नगरक्षेत्रका विभिन्न मठमन्दिरमा आफैंले कुचो लगाउन सुरु गरेका थिए। उनीसँगै वडाध्यक्षहरू र विभिन्न ओहदाका कर्मचारीसमेत साता दिनसम्म सडक र मन्दिर सफाइ गर्दै गरेका भेटिएका थिए। नगरप्रमुख साहले स्वच्छता र सफाइ आफ्नो प्रमुख प्राथमिकतामा रहेको दाबीसमेत गर्थे, उनको कुचो लगाएका तस्बिरहरू सामाजिक सञ्जालमा निकै चर्चित भएको थियो।

उनको सफाइ अभियान चलि रहँदा सोही बेला गठन भएको प्रदेश सरकारका मुख्यमन्त्री र मन्त्रीहरूले समेत कुचो लगाउने कार्यलाई निरन्तरता दिए। प्रायः जानकी मन्दिर केन्द्रित यस्ता सफाइ अभियान अहिले आएर मात्र सस्तो लोकप्रियता बटुल्न केन्द्रित रहेको स्पष्ट भएको छ। स्वच्छता अभियानको नारा दिने प्रदेश र स्थानीय सरकारले हालसम्म प्रदेश राजधानीलाई स्वच्छ बनाउन कुनै पनि रणनीतिक योजना सार्वजनिक गर्न सकेका छैनन्। प्रदेश राजधानीसमेत खुला दिसामुक्त नहुँदा सर्वसाधारण खिन्न छन्।

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SDG 6: Ambitious, but not rocket science

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Sanitation and Hygiene Expert-CARE Nepal (Based on Kathmandu)

[Vacancy]
Key responsibilities: 
The Sanitation and Hygiene Specialist is responsible for supporting design and implementation of hygiene and health promotion activities in conjuction with Earthquake Response and Recovery program team, the Consortium members and CARE’s implementing partners. S/he works under close supervision of WASH team leader to plan, implement and monitor the delivery of hygiene and health promotion activities in the earthquake affected communities of the project districts. 

Preferred Qualifications and Experience: 
Master’s degree in Civil/Sanitation/Water Engineering, Public Health, Environment or other related field with at least 3 years of experience in planning and implementing community based hygiene promotion activities and social behavior change communication preferably in development sector. 

Interested candidates are encouraged to obtain the detailed Job description from our website at www.carenepal.org and fill the Online Application Form. The last date for submitting the application is 17:00hrs, 17 July 2018. In addition to the Online Application form, please send an application and a recent CV to apply@care.org 

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Why Are Indian Kids Smaller Than African kids? Hint: It’s Not Race

By Sanjay Wijesekera

5 month old Manish, at a Nutrition Rehabilitation Centre, Guna, Madhya Pradesh. In 2013 when this picture was taken, Madhya Pradesh alone had 5% of all open defecators in the world, and 50% of children under 3 were stunted.

A story on the high incidence of malnutrition among children in India reminded us of a curious phenomenon that for years had puzzled development and health professionals. Despite India’s growing economic power and successive governments who paid serious attention to increasing food supply, children in that country remained smaller than those in less well-off countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

It took years of research and large-scale case studies - some of which were published by UNICEF, USAID and WHO in Improving Nutrition Outcomes with Better Water, Sanitation and Hygiene - to pin it down. There is a very widespread lack of adequate and diverse food intake among young children, which needs to be addressed, in both India and poor countries in sub-Saharan Africa. However, in India there is an additional and unexpected villain in the piece: a lack of toilets.

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पूर्ण सरसफाइ मार्गदर्शन २०७३ : खुला दिसामुक्त क्षेत्रपछि पूर्ण सरसफाइ घोषणा नगरे पनि हुने

काठमाडौ २० वैशाख । खुला दिसामुक्त घोषणा भइसकेका गाउँपालिका तथा नगरपालिकालाई पूर्ण सरसफाइ घोषणा गर्न अनिवार्य नहुने व्यवस्था सहित पूर्ण सरसफाइ मार्गदर्शन २०७३ कार्यान्वयनमा आएको छ । पूर्ण सरसफाइ मार्गदर्शनको औचित्य, लक्ष्य र उद्देश्य, पूर्ण सरसफाइका क्रियाकलाप तथा पूर्ण सरसफाइका सूचक जस्ता विषयलाई समेटेर राष्ट्रिय सरसफाइ तथा स्वच्छता समन्वय समितिले मार्गदर्शन जारी गरेको हो ।

समितिले सरसफाई गुरुयोजना २०६८ र वातावरणमैत्री स्थानीय सुशासन ढाँचा २०७० लाई मुख्य आधार मानेर पूर्ण सरसफाइ मार्गदर्शन २०७३ तयार पारेको हो । मार्गदर्शन तयार पार्दा क्षेत्र तथा जिल्ला तहका सरोकारवालाहरुको पृष्ठपोषण, राष्ट्रिय कार्यशालाको सुझाव र घोषणा पत्र, दिगो विकास लक्ष्य, स्थानीय निकायको नेतृत्व, मानव मलमुत्रीय फोहोरको व्यवस्थापन, ठोस तथा तरल फोहोरमैलाको प्रशोधन गरी पुनः प्रयोग वा तोकिएको मापदण्ड अनुसार विसर्जन गर्नुपर्ने अपरिहार्यता र विज्ञहरुको राय सुझावलाई समेत ध्यान दिइएको राष्ट्रिय सरसफाइ तथा स्वच्छता समन्वय समितिका सदस्य सचिव एवं वातावरणीय सरसफाइ शाखाका प्रमुख प्रेमकृष्ण श्रेष्ठले जानकारी दिनुभयो ।


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काठमाडौंको पानीमा कोलिफोर्म

Toilet-Ek Prem Katha

"Sanitation if More Importance than Independence. " said by Mahatma Gandhi
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"If you will change nothing, nothing will change you." wow. 
Yes, we can change the health and hygiene of billions with the simple sanitation solution i.e. TOILET.
....

It's time to be a part of Keshav and Jaya's anokhi love story! Presenting the trailer of Toilet- Ek Prem Katha. 

Catch the movie in theatres on 11th August, 2017.

Credit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ym4EJQ7XORk