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Conrad Gweru Correspondent
Fifteen years ago, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were agreed on. These provided an important framework for development and significant progress has been made in a number of areas including access to health, education and protecting the environment. But the progress has been uneven, particularly in developing countries where achieving these goals was tied to limited resources to meet targets.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which come into effect on January 1, 2016, to guide decision makers over the next 15 years are a great opportunity for various countries to put into practice lessons learnt in the last 15 years of implementing MDGs.
Although sanitation and hygiene issues are clearly addressed under Sustainable Development Goal 6 which calls on stakeholders to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all, central to achieving a number of all the other goals is ensuring that water, sanitation and hygiene issues are prioritised.
For most of the other SDGs, water is key; one cannot speak of good health without good sanitation and hygiene, even issues around climate change, poverty, inclusive cities and so forth. There can never be a better time to remind local authorities and policy makers of the need to prioritise sanitation and hygiene issues in Zimbabwe especially given the rainy season which often leaves many vulnerable to communicable diseases.
Also because this is the time when local authorities and Government put together their budgets for 2016. Prioritising water, sanitation and hygiene issues in the 2016 budgets and plans and beyond will ensure that Zimbabwe meets a number of the milestones set under the 17 SDGs. Key in these plans and budgets is ensuring that water treatment and sewerage reticulation systems are refurbished.
Most of the systems in place were installed more than 30 years back and cannot accommodate the growing number of people living in urban areas. Erratic supplies of piped water in most urban centres affect the sewerage removal system and encourages open defecation which in turn exposes community members to communicable diseases.
Women and children are the most vulnerable; children suffer at school without access to drinking water and clean toilets, and girls are unable to use facilities which are not sufficiently private particularly during menstruation. The domestic burden on females, who are traditionally responsible for cleaning toilets and managing domestic soil waste is also increased.
Innovative approaches in reusing, recycling and reducing waste will go a long way especially given the challenges faced by local authorities in waste management. A number of waste management departments are only focused on collecting waste and dumping it at various sites, which have become an eye sore to many. The idea of recycling, reusing and reducing waste should start from the community where waste separation is encouraged and promoted.
Local authorities and private sector players will then ensure that separated waste is collected and made use of. The idea of dumping waste should be a thing of the past now. In many countries, that which we dump here has created employment for many people from the community to the corporate level where many companies are involved in recycling.
Our neighbours, South Africa, are good at that; huge trucks come into the country to collect used plastic material, which is recycled and comes back as raw material for making plastics or finished products that we buy at high prices.
Innovative solutions in recycling of waste materials and reduction of sewage overspill should be central to plans and budgets. Separation of waste and links with the private sector will promote recycling and provide increased opportunities for economic productivity. Biogas digesters will produce renewable energy sources which when adopted become a solution for indiscriminate tree cutting for firewood as a result of electricity power cuts.
An environmentally-sensitive approach including the re-use of waste will have a major impact on the environment. Public health and hygiene education will ensure that target groups take charge of their own health and dignity; and coupled with the provision of gender-and age-sensitive facilities, this will lead to major impacts on health and human dignity.
Apart from the challenges faced by local authorities in providing adequate sanitation and hygiene facilities, there is gross irresponsibility by community members in ensuring that they protect their health.
Streets are flooded with litter and open defecation is now a common thing in both rural and urban areas. Innovative actions such as waste separation and recycling can be useful in reducing vulnerability to communicable diseases thereby improving health and leaving conditions of people.
Local authorities should stamp their authority especially in new residential areas. Many of the residents have no access to latrines and either use makeshift toilets or defecate in the open. Existing toilets, most of which are dilapidated, are not sited, designed, and maintained to be comfortable, hygienic and safe especially for children, people living with disabilities and older persons.
Heaps of solid waste are often scattered in these communities thereby exposing community members to a number of health risks. Sustainable management of water and sanitation can only be achieved when stakeholders plan together including ordinary people.
The sanitation and hygiene festival, a flagship event for the Sanitation for Success programme, which is funded by the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD) and the EU and implemented by Caritas Mutare and Harare in partnership with Murehwa and Nyanga rural district councils, has potential to bring stakeholders on the same table to discuss key issues under sanitation and hygiene.
The festival has three important activities: the launch night which will see key stakeholders discussing policy concerns in an effort to address sanitation and hygiene issues in the country, the business link to highlight the importance of stakeholders in addressing sanitation issues as well as the parade aimed at raising public awareness.
Out of it, all other stakeholders outside the two districts directly benefiting from the partnership are expected to take a number of innovations in addressing sanitation and hygiene issues in their provinces. This will reduce Zimbabwe’s vulnerability to communicable diseases and ultimately improve living standards for many Zimbabweans.
Online Reporter