Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) report
According to the recent Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) report, India’s role for the biggest decline in open defecation since 2015 has been commendable.
The WHO WASH Strategy has been developed in response to Member State Resolution WHA 64.4 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and it’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
It assesses the current pace of progress and prospects for achieving the goals of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG-6) (clean water and sanitation) by 2030.
Key findings
- Water resources have improved at the source, including tap water, borehole or tube wells, protected pit wells, protected springs, rainwater and packaged or delivered water.
- Achieving universal access to basic and managed services safely would require a 4-fold increase in current rates of progress by 2030.
- WASH is the collective term for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene. Because of their interconnected nature, these three main issues are grouped together. For example, without toilets, water sources become contaminated; Basic sanitation practices are not possible without clean water.
India’s Initiatives for WASH:
- Swachh Bharat Mission has been launched to end open defecation in India.
- Swajal Initiative, which enables communities to self-manage safe water sources within their habitats through policy development, trainers training and communication campaigns.
- The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is supporting this mission by creating awareness of water, sanitation and hygiene issues, and by encouraging citizens and local government bodies to seek solutions.
- The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHRW) with the support of UNICEF has launched the ‘Kayakalp Scheme’ to recognize and reward the excellence of healthcare facilities in promoting sanitation. This has improved the quality of health care services.
Source – The Hindu
