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Tuesday March 19, 2024

Drive launched to improve behaviours towards water, sanitation and hygiene

By Jamila Achakzai
December 08, 2016

Islamabad

A campaign was launched on Wednesday to promote healthy living in the country by empowering members of the society with knowledge to change harmful practices linked with water, sanitation, and hygiene.

According to organisers, the Saaf Sehatmand Pakistan (Clean Healthy Pakistan) drive is anchored on the philosophy that poor sanitation and hygiene practices has more than just health consequences.

Children suffering from continuous bouts of diarrhoea or other infections resulting from poor water and sanitation are most likely to fall behind in school or drop out altogether, limiting their ability to realise their full potential. This calls for urgent action.

Officiating its launch, Federal Minister for Climate Change Zahid Hamid said the government was committed to supporting the campaign.

“The government is making efforts to improve the dire situation posed by improper sanitation and hygiene. Undoubtedly, improving people’s hygienic behaviours is vital to this cause. We must combine our expertise in health, education, communication and community knowledge to raise awareness and promote hygienic and safe practices,” he said.

The minister said hand washing had positive impact on the growth of children and that changing behaviours of the people towards hygienic practices was one of the main tools to address that serious issue.

He said the National Assembly of Pakistan was the first in the world to unanimously pass a resolution to adopt the SDGs agenda as its own development agenda. “This not only shows the broad political support for SDGs but also clearly indicates this is now Pakistan's development agenda," he said.

The minister said all stakeholders should combine their expertise in the health, education, communication and community knowledge to raise and promote hygienic and safe practices. Siddiq Ahmad Khan, country director at the Water Aid, complained about lack of proper practices and improper behaviours related to safe use of water, better sanitation and improved hygiene.

“The main vision of the campaign is that everyone should demonstrate improved behaviours towards water, sanitation and hygiene for healthier lives,” he said.

He said the campaign was meant to create public awareness of hygiene, construct and maintain safe hygienic latrines, provide sanitation and safe drinking water to the people, and conserve water.

Imran Shami, country director at the Plan International Pakistan, said Pakistan was among the top five countries in the world with the highest rate of diarrheal deaths. He said every year, 53,000 children died of diarrhoea alone, while 60 per cent of all infant deaths occur due to unsafe water, and poor sanitation, all of which was easily preventable.

He said while the numbers were overwhelming, they could be significantly reduced. "A simple act such as hand washing with soap before meals and after using the toilet, can reduce the rate of diarrhoea infections by 40 per cent," he said.

Prime Minister’s focal person on climate change and Green Pakistan Programme Syed Rizwan Mehboob said the government was investing in hygiene, water and sanitation but the focus on behavioural change was missing.

he said the aim of the campaign was to engage politicians, policymakers, academia, private sector, media and civil society for behaviourial change initiative. "It’s a challenge and mass media has a vital role as a watchdog to keep the sectors on track. We need collective efforts so that the campaign will reach to its target,” he said.

Cristian Munduate, UNICEF deputy representative, said provision of right information helped people take appropriate action for improving their hygiene practices. "Through initiatives such as Saaf Sehatmand Pakistan, we must create a new norm where everyone understands the importance of simple actions like washing hands with soap,” she said.

Having championed the campaign idea two years ago, information minister Maryam Aurangzeb endorsed it. The campaign was also approved by the federal ministry of federal education and professional training and the Capital Administration and Development Division.