NEW: Govt committed to equitable access to water, sanitation, health  

Online Reporter  

GOVERNMENT is committed to ensure equitable and universal access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services for all by 2030.

Addressing the WASH national working committee on Tuesday, the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development’s rural WASH officer Mr Taurai Maja said Government is currently funding a WASH project in six districts under the Integrated Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Programme (IRWSSP).

“To date, the following has been achieved: Six districts and 37 ward subcommittees revitalised and functional; 335 of the 424 targeted villages have been triggered, 335 Sanitation Action Groups set up and trained,” said Mr Maja.

“Sixty-three (63) percent of the population have access to at least basic water supply, while 36 percent have access to at least basic sanitation services.

“Acceleration plans are in now place to achieve targets by end of third quarter.”

According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), 2,2 billion people worldwide still lack access to safe drinking water and more than half of the global population does not have access to safe sanitation.