Water, sanitation and hygiene
Ensuring communities have access to safe and clean water, good hygiene and sanitation practices
- Available in:
- English
- العربية
Challenge
Inadequate water, hygiene and sanitation practices poses major risks for communities especially children. Moreover, water and sanitation related diseases are one of the leading causes of death for children under five.
In Sudan 17.3 million people lack access to basic level drinking water supply and are at risk of disease. About 24 million lack access to proper sanitation facilities.
Sanitation coverage has stagnated with more than 10.5 million people practice open defecation. This poses a major hazard to children and communities and has a significant impact on food security, rising malnutrition, disease outbreaks, conflict, and ultimately child morbidity and mortality.
Around half of the schools in Sudan have either no access to water (no supply of water nor using water delivery by donkey carts) or they have facilities that are dysfunctional.
The access to hand washing facilities is limited to only around 10 per cent of all schools. Most of the schools have the facility, but no running water or sustainable supply of soap for hand washing.
While Sudan has registered improvements in WASH access over the past decade, climate change poses substantial risks to the provision of services.
Solutions
UNICEF carries a wide range of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) interventions, including:
- Conducting hydrogeological/geophysical investigation to identify promising sites for improved water sources.
- Construction and rehabilitation of improved community water sources and distribution systems.
- Supporting water disinfection at water sources, transportation means and household storage.
- Empowering targeted communities to effectively manage their water services to promote system sustainability.
- Facilitate community-led total sanitation approaches empowering communities with information and knowledge about good WASH practices, and creating local-ownership to establish and maintain sanitation facilities.
- Build the capacity of Government and other sector partners for effective planning, expansion and management of the overall water systems.
- UNICEF is prepositioning emergency response WASH supplies in emergency prone areas and keeping seed fund available for immediate response to any sudden-onset emergency requiring WASH interventions.
- In coordination with the education sector enhance access to water supply and gender-sensitive sanitation and handwashing facilities for children.
