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VOL. 28, NO. 05, Sept 19 , 2008 (Ashwin 03 2065 B.S.) |
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SANITATION FOR ALL
Challenges
Ahead
Even as political leaders chant the Mantra of New Nepal, a grim reality is that over 60 percent of Nepalese are yet to have access to toilet. More than 13,000 children still die every year due to lack of safe drinking water and proper sanitation. Although a number of programs have been implemented over the years by various agencies to improve the situation, Nepal is in no position to achieve a target to provide sanitation for all by 2017. The recent sector review on community level models for financing sanitation in rural Nepal conducted by WaterAid Nepal and Asian Development Bank reveals how resources spent by various agencies to meet the ambitious target is virtually being drained in vain thanks to lack of coordination.
By KESHAB POUDEL
Jamuna Bishwokarma, 45, is a lady belonging to so-called Dalit community whose husband works as a black smith. A resident of Lele Village Development Committee of Lalitpur district, 15 kilometers south of capital Kathmandu, is yet to pay back Rs3,000 (US$ 40) loan she took to build a toilet. In less than two years, her toilet has turned non-functional thanks to lack of maintenance.
Constructed under a subsidy given by an NGO, Jamuna's toilet brought a lot of changes in the last two years in her family. From reducing the cost of medical bill to making her house and surrounding clean, the latrine had transformed many things.
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| Officials discuss ways to improve sanitation: Will they meet target ? |
"After the construction of toilet, I have not taken my children to nearby Anandaban Hospital and I, too, don't have to wake up at dawn to go to fields for relieving myself," said Jamuna. "If the toilet is not maintained in near future, I will have no option other than to revert to my past situation. After the construction of toilet, the agency which supported us has not inquired."
Jamuna is not alone in facing this kind of situation. There are many similar cases of malfunctioning of toilets. Had local materials used in constructing the toilets, the locals could have done the maintenance on their own.
Rush for Construction
There is a rush for construction of toilet but hardly anybody keeps in mind the question of sustainability and economic affordability. In its report on the situation prepared after visiting Pyuthan, Chitwan, Tanahu, Kailali, Surkhet, Banke and Kapilbastu districts and based on interactions with stake holders, the WaterAid Nepal has revealed that achieving total sanitation access in rural Nepal in the near future will be a very formidable challenge.
"Sanitation coverage has increased but we don't know whether the modality we offer in the local areas is appropriate or not. There are many duplications and lack of coordination among various agencies," said Krishna Prasad Acharya, deputy director general of Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation. "As we have to meet the national target to provide sanitation for all by 2017, we need to have coordinated approach."
With a call to increase the sanitation coverage, the government and various donor agencies have already spent huge amount of money to construct toilets around the country but the challenge is their sustainability.
Maila Tamang 55, of Bhattedanda Village Development Committee of Lalitpur district, too, has a similar story to tell. Constructed under a grant by national NGOs, Tamang's toilet cost Rs.4, 500 ((US$70). It is now malfunctioning. "Few months after the construction, some parts of toilets cracked."
Case Study
Recently released WaterAid and Asian Development Bank's report, Money Down The Pan? too has made several case studies. Operated under School Sanitation and Health Education Program by Nepal Red Cross Society in Bhimnagar School and Gunjanagar in Chitwan district, 150 kilometres south of capital Kathmandu, the program has increased the coverage of sanitation substantially.
However, one of the drawbacks of the program is that total latrine coverage could not be achieved because the poorest people lacked even nominal funds to build a permanent latrine. A few of the households had built latrines with the support of a revolving loan made available thorough women's group. However, not every body could afford to take out a loan.
With the 114 households, the problem of Bashkhor community, a Madhesi community of Kapilvastu district, 500 kilometers west of capital Kathmandu, is that they are unable to use the latrine. Constructed under the Community Based Water Supply and Sanitation Sector Project, about half of the households in the area have good latrines but most latrines are not in use because of lack of ownership and hygiene awareness.
"As the country is celebrating International Year of Sanitation, the ministry is preparing a long term strategy to make the ongoing sanitation program more effective and target oriented," said Suman Sharma, joint secretary at Ministry of Physical Planning and Works. "The report helps us to find weaknesses in national sanitation program."
Ambitious Plan
Nepal has been implementing an ambitious sanitation program to provide 100 percent sanitation coverage by 2017. This is the reason why a number of sanitation programs are launched with common aspiration but with different implementation models which sometimes results in overlapping and inefficient distribution of the limited resources available.
Although sanitation is separate from the sector of drinking water, the government is yet to allocate separate budget under sanitation title. As Nepal is also celebrating International Year of Sanitation, the government is said to have decided to allocate separate budget to this area from now on.
"After reviewing available documents and visiting sites and consulting with relevant stake holders, our report concludes that there is a need to develop a common and popular approach," said Laxmi Sharma, project officer Asian Development Bank. "More coordinated efforts are needed to meet the target set for 2017 to provide sanitation coverage for all."
The course of implementation of the program is another concern. Although sanitation activities are regulated by Rural Water Supply and Sanitation National Policy 2004, there is no proper mechanism to regulate the activities.
Thanks to the weakness in the regulatory mechanism, there are duplications of programs confusing the people. This may be the reason why the disparities among the rich in the rural and urban areas are growing.
According to the UNICEF's 2006 report, access to improved sanitation among the richest quintile is about 79 percent and access among the poorest quintile is just 10 percent.
According to Nepal Demographic and Health Survey 2006, the access to sanitation in urban areas is 36.9 percent and 19.8 percent in rural areas.
Report's Suggestions
This WaterAid and Asian Development Bank study, among others, looks at how the resources allocated for sanitation by a range of sector actors, including the Government of Nepal, multilateral donors and NGOs, are being distributed and used at the community level.
The study has reviewed the manner in which different financial models in Nepal allocate the available resources from an economic, social and sustainability perspective.
The research recognized the strengths and weakness of all the models, and although it does not promote a single approach as the solution, it does stress the need for increased coordination within the sector to ensure the resources are allocated more effectively for those in need. The current practice of having multiple financing models, often contradictory in nature, implemented alongside each other within a VDC or District has led to confusion among citizens and held back progress towards the common goal of improved sanitation all, the report says.
"Different levels of financial support often create division in community. Communities are often not in control of how resources are allocated," said Oliver Jones, Rural Programme Manager, Water Aid Nepal.
The study recommends that within the diversity of approaches some key principles should be adopted by the sector to reduce contradictory practices. Central to these principles is that models for financing sanitation should support community sanitation outcomes, not be focused at individual households.
Open defection in Nepal is common as peoples' fathers and forefathers did it. It is also perceived as a cheap and easy solution to a natural body function. But the cost to a community's health is also great –increased cases of diarrhea, worms and other diseases caused by unhygienic practices. People, children in particular, are literally dying through lack of sanitary toilets.
WaterAid Nepal CLTS
WaterAid Nepal has been playing a pioneer role to increase the sanitation coverage launching programs along with its partner. With the support from WaterAid Nepal, Nepal Water for Health (NEWAH) has been launching the new Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) approach that has brought a visible change in many villages.
"One of the lacking in the present time is the coordination and approach. Water Aid's CLTS approach is very popular now as it involves the community in all aspects by developing the sense of ownership," said Sanjaya Adhikari, country representative WaterAid Nepal. "Three is a need for community mobilization to achieve the target to provide sanitation for all."
According to government officials, the CLTS has already contributed to the Rural Water and Sanitation Policy 2004 of achieving total sanitation by 2017 through community mobilization. CLTS approaches recognize that individual hygiene behavior can affect the whole community.
Started as a model project in Karki Danda of Dhading District in October 2003, the CLTS approach is now being replicated in various districts. Along with WaterAid Nepal and NEWAH, Plan International Nepal, Rural Reconstruction Nepal, Oxfam, and other organisations have also been implementing this program.
Implemented in Shumshergunj Banke, 500 km west of capital by Plan International, the CLTS approach is attracting the local community as it was successfully introduced in community of 59 households belonging to people mostly from Dalit and Janjati community.
Although it is still a neglected issue in national context, experiences in Nepal have shown that access to sanitation can bring about visible change in society. For this what is required is support and mobilization of community.
One of the challenges the country is facing is the financing models. According to Oliver Jones, principle of financing modalities should support community sanitation outcomes, not be focused on individual households. It should facilitate communities to engage and identify poor and marginalized groups who need additional support.
Less than eight years are left to meet the target to provide universal access to sanitation. The challenges that lie ahead include executing sustainable programs that are adaptive and affordable to all communities.
