Access to potable water, sanitation set to improve

Tina Musonza

Herald Correspondent

A working group bringing in all involved in water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) has been set up in line with the vision of leaving no one and no place behind.

Lands, Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Rural Development Permanent Secretary Dr John Basera told a WASH inaugural meeting last week that there was a collaborative approach to revamp the sanitary access to people nationwide.

“Government has been working on a number of upstream and downstream projects aimed at ensuring the right to water and sanitation is met,” he said. “May I challenge this house to think outside the box on how to mobilise, to be innovative for financing to reach the sustainable Development Goals by 2030.”

Unicef chief of water, sanitation and hygiene Mrs Cindy Kushner said there were collaborative approach measures taken to craft the master plan to revamp sanitary access in the country.

“With our role of partnering with other development partners from the community all the way to the ministry level, we are able to bring technical support, mobilise finance,” she said. “Us as Unicef, Government, civil societies, donors, and other stakeholders we are able to complement the whole Government approach for the water, sanitation and hygiene.

“Everyone needs water and we are working together to improve that.”

Acting director for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Coordination in the same ministry Mr Nesbert Shirihuru said water was at the centre of economic development.

“Water is key in the economic development and to improve sanitary conditions,” he said. “The Government has played an important role in initiating projects based on improving sanitary conditions. The vision is to achieve 100 percent access to safely managed water by 2030 and we are still having a huge population accessing water from open sources and they walk long distances to access water.”

Another challenge hindering the improvements on sanitary conditions was defecation in open spaces which then accumulated in open water sources.

“The challenge we have is defecation,” he said. “If you look at the current demographic, the census says 19,8 percent are doing open defecation and it disturbs water sources.

“Government has been doing their work through development projects, infrastructure and others need to come and play ball to the approach we want to take to scale.”