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VOL. 27, NO. 18, January 11, 2007 (Paush 27 2064 B.S.)
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‘National sanitation coverage is very poor’
- SANJAYA ADHIKARY
SANJAYA ADHIKARY, country representative of WaterAid Nepal, a UK based International Non-governmental Organization, has a long experiences in working in the areas of water and sanitation. As Nepal is celebrating 2008 as the year of Sanitation, Adhikary spoke to SPOTLIGHT on various issues related to water and sanitation. Excerpts:
How do you see the progress in access to sanitation? Will it meet the MDG target?
Nepal appears to be on track to meet its MDG targets in water supply (coverage figure is widely contested due to differing definition however), but is a long way off track to meet the target for sanitation. National sanitation coverage is very poor at 46% with socio-cultural and economic factors accounting for the lowest coverage rate in South Asia. As per the Government estimates, one third of the 75 districts have sanitation coverage below 20% of which 10 districts are in the Terai and 14 in the hills and mountains. Assuming business as usual, the sanitation target will be missed in Nepal.
And what that means is?
Infant mortality will continue to remain high; children will continue to suffer from water borne diseases putting an unnecessary burden on health service time off school will result in failed educational opportunities and missed economic opportunities. Girls often drop out of school at puberty due to lack of privacy and decent sanitation facilities. In summary, poverty reduction will continue to be undermined and other MDGs will not be realized. The rate of progress to enhance access to sanitation, therefore, will have to be accelerated.
What are the challenges ahead to increase access to sanitation?
Despite its importance to public health improvements, poverty reduction and environmental protection, safe sanitation has had a low profile when compared to water supply. In other words, sanitation is “neglected” and suffers from lack of “political will”.
What are the challenges?
The key challenges are At the policy level as well at the program level? At the policy level sanitation is usually seen as a symptom of poverty rather than a driver of poverty reduction. Financing to sanitation is insufficient and is allocated in non-transparent way. From an instiutional perspective, the sector is highly fragmented with responsibilties split (competing rather) between several Ministries thus creating confusion over roles and responsibilites.
What is the situation at the Programme level?
At the program levelDemand for sanitation is not well expressed or understood and Supply side solutions have failed and demand led programmes are difficult to get right.
Sustainable sanitation does not stop at just enhacing access to sanitation but the need to consider the total sanitation; and different challenges in the rural and urban context.
What do you suggest?
Sanitation therefore needs to be put on the political and development agenda in a more challenging manner as sustained access to clean water and sanitation are closely linked at institutional, policy and implementation levels.
What do you think is the role of INGOs like WaterAid and other NGOs in advancing sanitation?
WaterAid Nepal firmly believes that it is the state’s responsibility to promote access to sanitation. The role of INGOs/NGOs is to contribute to experiment, innovate and replicate successful lessons. To this end, WAN undertakes research, advocacy and influence work as well as supports its development partners in good service delivery to provide access to some of the hardest to reach and serve the unserved. As a learning organization, WaterAid Nepal also seeks to develop, test and support implementation of new approaches and helps to promote them so as to achieve scaling-up.
What is the level of contribution?
With modest contribution (estimated to be around 5%) in the sector, we know that we must use the experiences gained for meaningful engagement in the sector and influencing work. You will agree, service delivery alone will not bring about systemic change although it is critical for the lives of the poor people it reaches and provides the experience needed for effective practice and policy influence.
As Nepal is celebrating year 2008 as an International Year of Sanitation, what should be the priority for Nepal?
The International Year of Sanitation gives us all an opportunity to act to tackle the sanitation crisis – a crisis not only of disease and poverty, but of inequity and human dignity. The recent evidence suggests that sanitation brings the greatest public health return of any policy intervention.
What the areas of your engagement?
As a specialized INGO on water and sanitation, WaterAid Nepal engages with its development partners and sector stakeholders, including the Government and donors, to raise awareness of sanitation issues – health, social and economic - across a broad spectrum of audiences and to thereby push the sector to the forefront of national and international political agenda.
What do you need to do maximize the opportunity?
To maximize the opportunity of 2008 as the International Year of Sanitation, WaterAid Nepal calls for action. The calls include: development of a national sanitation master plan recognizing the right of all people to sanitation; Preparation of an urban sanitation and water policy in consultation with civil society; Publication of an annual plan, targets, and financing required while ensuring sufficient budget allocation including a separate budget line on sanitation;
What are other areas?
Enhancing collaboration between sector stakeholders including with education, health, academia and media; adopting minimum standards in declaring areas “totally sanitized"; publishing annual performance reports for discussion with civil society and public scrutiny; Creating an enabling environment to share, learn, and replicate and scale up many successes in the sector; and ensuring that every school and pubic institutions have disabled and gender friendly sanitation access
