22 March 2008 - On World Water Day, UNICEF emphasises need for improved sanitation in SudanOn the occasion of World Water Day 2008, UNICEF in Sudan is emphasizing an urgent need for improved sanitation across the country in order to reduce risks from disease and other social consequences. According to the 2006 Sudan Household Health Survey, only 31 per cent of Sudanese households have access to an adequate method of sanitation, with wide disparities between different states. Poor sanitation and related hygiene practices also contribute to increased levels of water-borne diseases such as diarrhoea and cholera – the Sudan Household Health Survey noted that nearly 30 per cent of children had recently suffered diarrhoeal disease, a reliable indication of its overall prevalence. “While government bodies and their partners like UNICEF have made significant strides in improving access to clean water in Sudan since the year 2000, access to sanitation has actually fallen by nearly 6 per cent,” said UNICEF Representative Ted Chaiban. “The Sudan Household Health Survey showed that use of adequate sanitation increases with the educational and economic status of household members – so sanitation is an issue that extends beyond just the construction of latrines, and touches a range of socio-economic factors,” he added. UNICEF is using the occasion of World Water Day, and the 2008 International Year of Sanitation, to refocus attention on sanitation – through improved coordination structures and allocation of public funds that improve the availability and quality of sanitation at community and household level, and improve hygiene education. Leaders of the Government of National Unity and the Government of Southern Sudan – including President of the Government of Southern Sudan Salva Kiir – are involved in a range of events from technical workshops to community clean-up campaigns designed to focus attention on the sanitation issue. “Although there is a clear commitment to address sanitation issues, there is no single body in Sudan charged with coordinating the valuable efforts of many agencies in the public, voluntary and private sectors,” noted Chaiban. “Effective coordination and pooling of resources is critical to making progress on sanitation, with the required focus on reducing geographical disparities.” One way forward, according to Chaiban, would be the establishment of a high level coordination mechanism on sanitation at government level, which could bring together UN agencies, NGOs, civil society and the private sector to develop a new action plan for sanitation. UNICEF stands ready to support such an approach, he emphasized. “We must also ensure adequate financial and human resources are made available to the sanitation sector,” said Chaiban “with investment in new approaches such as community-led sanitation promotion centres that place more ownership and direction in the hands of local people, expansion of sanitation to facilities such as schools and health centres and the integration of hygiene education into the school curriculum and as part of a basic package of health services at community level.” “Access to clean water has increased by more than 10 per cent in the last eight years in Sudan,” said Chaiban. “We have to make this level of achievement possible in the sanitation sector, or we are only winning half the battle. Poor sanitation, and the associated poor hygiene practices, leaves families at risk of disease and sickness that impact upon their health, their ability to get an education, and their prospects for prosperity.”
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