42pc Pakistanis without basic sanitation facilities: report

LAHORE :Pakistan is now the seventh worst country in the world in terms of access to basic sanitation facilities, a new report by an NGO has revealed.
Currently, 42 percent of the total population in the country remains without access to at least basic sanitation.
A staggering 79 million in Pakistan still lack a decent toilet, while 37 percent people have no system for wastewater disposal, which leads to spread of diseases due to contamination of water and contact with human waste.
Calling immediate attention to the situation, the Public Health Engineering Department, supported by Saaf Sehatmand Pakistan Campaign, marked the World Toilet Day here in Lahore. “Despite the severity of the issue, sanitation remains a low priority area in the country. There is an immediate need to shift focus.
The Sustainable Development Goals, launched in 2015, include a target to ensure that everyone has access to a safely-managed household toilet by 2030. This makes sanitation central to eradicating extreme poverty”, said Punjab Public Health Engineering Department Secretary Muhammed Khurram Agah.
The SDGs target 6.2 calls for, by 2030, achieving “access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations.”
According to the NGO's report, Pakistan is the fifth best country in the world for reducing open defecation. Though Pakistan has made some progress towards achieving this SDG, a lot more still needs to be done as 21.8 million people in Pakistan still defecate in the open. Special attention also needs to be paid to the treatment and disposal of wastewater, which undermines progress in child health and survival by spreading killer diseases.
“Diseases spread by wastewater and lack of sanitation increase the financial burden on families. This further disadvantages the poorest of the poor making extreme poverty hard to overcome.
There is already a vast disparity in the country in terms of rural-urban access to basic sanitation facilities. If not addressed urgently, this will continue to keep many below the poverty line.
The government takes ownership of the issue and will continue to work towards addressing this”, said P&D Member Health Dr Shabana Haider. “Improving funding and allocation of resources is at the heart of solving the sanitation and wastewater problems in Pakistan.
It is encouraging to see the government’s willingness and promise in this regard but more needs to be done to ensure we are able to achieve the SDGs for sanitation and wastewater management.
Unless appropriate funding is diverted to these areas, long term, sustainable gains cannot be made”, Siddiq Khan, country director of the NGO. Lack of access to toilet and sanitation and unavailability of systems for wastewater disposal also have direct implications on the future and education of children.
“One in three schools in Pakistan is missing a toilet which contributes to dropouts, especially that of girls.
Untreated human waste and lack of sanitation facilities also cause diseases, which keeps children from attending school and disrupts their education. Sanitation and wastewater management are essential to safeguard the future of our children”, said Kitka Goyol, UNICEF country representative.
“Pakistan’s efforts and commitment to improve sanitation need to be lauded. However, apart from sanitation, wastewater disposal and treatment are also key to making progress towards the SDGs. For that to be achieved, we need systems that ensure that human waste is contained, transported, treated and disposed of in a safe and sustainable way, said Dr Shabana Haider.