Sanitation in South Asia: Progress and Challenges Clarissa Brocklehurst Chief of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, UNICEF SACOSAN April 2011

WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation (JMP) Mandated by the UN to monitor global progress towards the MDG water and sanitation target Use of national data sources: –National censuses –Household surveys (DHS, MICS, WHS, LSMS, CWIQ etc.) Use of standard definitions and indicators to ensure data are comparable between countries and over time

MDG definitions - sanitation Improved sanitation Flush/pour flush to: piped sewer system septic tank pit latrine Ventilated improved pit (VIP) latrine Pit latrine with slab Composting toilet Unimproved sanitation Pit latrine without slab/ open pit Bucket Hanging toilet/hanging latrine Flush/pour flush to elsewhere No facilities, bush or field (open defecation) Shared or public facilities An improved sanitation facility “hygienically separates human waste from human contact”

Year Coverage (%) Linear regression line

Improved Public or shared Unimproved Open defecation What do the data tell us about progress in sanitation in South Asia? Sanitation coverage in South Asia increased by 13 percentage points since 1990; from 22% to 35% open defecation rates decreased by a third; from 67% to 45%

UrbanTotalRural But stark differences remain between urban and rural figures Improved Public or shared Unimproved Open defecation

716 million people in South Asia practiced open defecation in 2008 (millions) India 638 million

Comparison with other regions

India Nepal Pakistan Afghanistan Bhutan Bangladesh Maldives Sri Lanka SOUTH ASIA Coverage (%) Improved Public or shared Unimproved Open defecation Significant variation across countries

Bad news In 2008 there were more people without access to improved sanitation than in 1990

South Asia is not on track for the MDG sanitation target 40? Required trend

Good news Open defecation rates have declined in all countries

EQUITY ANALYSIS

Equity – rural coverge still lags behind urban coverage

Poorest 2 nd 3 rd 4 th Richest Wealth Quintile Analysis: India

Poorest 2 nd 3 rd 4 th Richest Wealth Quintile Analysis: Nepal

Poorest 2 nd 3 rd 4 th Richest Wealth Quintile Analysis: Bangladesh

Overcoming obstacles: building demand for sanitation community-led models for building demand harnessing household investments changing social norms around open defecation

Overcoming obstacles: building political commitment for sanitation Xx South Asian countries are members of Sanitation and Water for All Engagement of Ministers of Finance Significant financial and institutional commitments have been made

Thank you