Environmental sanitation and hygiene master plan
Environmental sanitation and hygiene master plan El Fasher 2017-2027
Highlights
The State Ministry of Health and the State Ministry of Education together with their sector partners will use this plan as a guide for their sanitation and hygiene programs in communities and schools within El Fasher Municipal Administrative Unit. This is the case because this master plan does not only target households, but also schools, primary health centres and public places. In the realisation of this cross-sector collaboration, the state government will highlight in its development agenda the provision of improved WASH facilities in schools, health centres, and public places.
The ESHMP comes in as a response to numerous social and economic challenges that contribute to low health indicators within the town, but also the entire North Darfur State. For instance, in the recent months, the state was among the worst hit by water-related diseases such as diarrhoea, trachoma and malaria. These diseases spread through poor sanitation and hygiene practices which among others include defecating in the open, unsafe disposal of child faeces, lack of handwashing after using toilets, before handling food, unsafe handling of drinking water supply and unsafe handling of food.
The Environmental Sanitation and Hygiene Master Plan (ESHMP) is an actionable roadmap towards achieving sustainable access to basic sanitation and hygiene for all citizens of El Fasher town by 2027. The master plan is an articulation of strategic priorities, key policy and systemic interventions to guide investments and move beyond ad-hoc interventions to a more durable long-term solution, eventually leading to the attainment of SDG-6 target on sanitation.
The vision of the people of El Fasher town is to live in a clean town free from open defecation & waste matter, where all residents have access to sanitation, hygiene and enjoy a healthier and productive life.
This will be achieved by:
• Promoting improved sanitation and hygiene practices;
• Ensuring clean sanitation & handwashing facilities in schools, hospitals and public places;
• Improving the management of solid and liquid waste to provide a cleaner and safer environment.
This master plan is a ten-year development plan (2017 – 2027) aimed at reaching 654,7772 people and is complemented by water supply improvements through the Water Supply Master Plan3 for the same population. The master plan will contribute towards improved human health, dignity and aid economic development for the residents of El Fasher town. It is estimated that Sudan loses 2% of its GDP annually due to poor sanitation. This translates to US$ 490 million per year4, nearly equal to the funds required to achieve SDG-6 basic water and sanitation targets for Sudan. Investing in sanitation & hygiene makes good economic sense.
