8/7/2019 Creating an ODF Society

1/1

Nine out of 10 people in

Pakistan do not have ac-

cess to domestic toilets.

Seventy-three million of such peo-

ple reside in rural areas while 17

million in the urban areas do not

have any toilets to go to.

Obviously, the contaminated

untreated and uncollected solid

and liquid wastes are exposing

people to serious health risks lead-

ing to ailments such as diarrhoea,

malaria and cholera.

In Pakistan, total annual ex-

penditure on diarrhoea alone is

estimated at PKR 55 billion-PKR 84

billion ($873 million-$1.3 billion).

The issue of sanitation washighlighted at the UN through

countrywide consultation and

prevention strategies were dis-

cussed at a London meeting in

2002,said Jawed Ali Khan, Direc-

tor General for the MoE.

He was speaking at the launch

ceremony of the International Year

of Sanitation (IYS) held in Islam-

abad on 4 March.

Since then, we have been

working with provincial govern-

ments, tehsils and union councils

to develop a national policy on

sanitation,he adds.

The national policy was com-

pleted in 2006 and is currentlybeing implemented at the grass-

roots, said Khan.

The UN says uncollected and

untreated waste of more than 2.6

billion people pose a global health

crisis.

At present, 980 million chil-

dren live without proper sanita-

tion. Every 20 seconds on average,

a child dies as a direct result which

amounts to 1.5 million preventa-

ble child deaths a year.

More than 200 million tonnes

of human waste goes uncollected

and untreated around the world in

parts of both developing and the

developed countries, and 77 per

cent of the 2.6 billion under health

risks reside in the rural areas.

Sanitation is everyones busi-

ness,said Farhan Sami, Country

Team Leader for the World Bank in

Pakistan.

Funding is not a problem, un-

derstanding is. Every citizen has a

role to play in achieving the col-

lective information goal and sen-

sitisation should reach out to all

the stakeholders,he adds.

He urged the involvement of

non-sector institutions in resolv-

ing sanitation issues.

At present, with the exception

of a few big cities, sewerage is al-

most non-existent in Pakistan.

Nearly 45 per cent of all

households do not have access to

latrines, 51 per cent of all house-holds are not connected to any

form of drainage which includes

open drains.

The education infrastructure

faces a bigger challenge as 48 per

cent of the schools have no toilet

facility due to bad quality of con-

struction and public impact of in-

dividual behaviour, according to a

UNICEF report.

18 | NGO World | February 2008 February 2008 | NGO W

IYS

To achieve poverty eradica-

tion and education in schools

without sanitation is extremely

difficult, said Andrew Parker, Chief

of Water, Environment and Sanita-

tion at UNICEF Pakistan.

I would like you to think what

it would be like to be in a school

without toilets and the need to go

to the toilet,Parker says.

Parker also added if there are

no facilities for girls that are gen-

der sensitive and culturally appro-

priate, then girls tend to shy away

from schools and drop out.

Similarly, teacher attendance

at school is highly challenging

without sanitation facilities in

schools, especially for female

teachers.

Sanitation is a good eco-

nomic investment. For every dol-

lar (PKR 63) spent improving sani-

tation and hygiene, $3-$34 (PKR

189 PKR 2,142) is saved in

health, education, social and eco-

nomic development,Parker said.Several community-based

campaigns in the rural areas were

highlighted at the launch of IYS

which includes the complete

elimination of open defecation in

the rural areas.

This is just the beginning,

there are big challenges ahead,

said Shandana Khan, Chief Execu-

tive Officer of the Rural Support

Programme Network (RSPN).

Having worked at the field-

level and having worked with the

community, it is at least very clear

to the rural support programme

that partnerships between gov- ernment and the NGOs, particu-

larly for behaviour change shouldbe encouraged within the com-

munity.

The MoE is taking steps to

promote excellence in the deliv-

ery of sanitary outcomes in tehsils

and towns across Pakistan.

In addition to the complete

eradication of open defecation,

tehsil or town that has received

100 per cent sanitation status

would become eligible

and rewards.At present, seve

councils are in the proc

coming defecation-free

to an RSPN report.

These are just sm

The real commitmen

would be to join hand

MoE to give a commitm

large-scale implemen

this approach,said Kha

INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF SANITATION

Creating an open defecation-free society

www.thengoworld.com www.thengoworld.com

Sanitation and hygiene are crucial for the survival, development and social growth of human population as well as the unhindered improvement of economic and health indicators of any country. Ho

even today, billions of people around the world remain devoid of improved sanitation facilities and millions lose their lives from exposure to uncollected and untreated waste each year. Fakhra Hassan r

Millennium Development Goals

Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger

Achieve universal primary education

Promote gender equality and empower women

Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases

To halve, by 2015, the proportion of people without sustainable

access to sanitation

Source: UNICEF

Why Sanitation?

Since 2002, we have

been working with

provincial governments,

tehsils and union coun-

cils to develop a na-

tional policy on sanita-

tion that is now being

implemented - Jawed

Ali Khan, Director Gen-

eral, Ministry of Environ-

ment, Pakistan.

I would like you to think

what it would be like to

be in a school without

toilets and the need to

go to the toilet,Andrew

Parker, Chief of Water,

Environment and Sani-

tation at UNICEF Pak-

istan.

Public awareness research News media outreach through story campaigns and television

public service announcements Information booklets, brochures and fact sheets Support to regional, national and local initiatives School curricula modules Political, corporate, academic, religious and celebrity advocates

and ambassadors

Source: UNICEF

IYS Plan

From left: Pakisans caretaker Minister of Environment Wajid Hussain Bokhari, Secretary Environment , Chief Executive Officer, Rural Support ProgrammeNetwork Shandana Khan, Country Team Leader World Bank Farhan Sami