The provision of water supply and sanitation services to the developing and water scarce areas of South Africa is one of the goals of the Reconstruction and Development Programme. One of the principles of the South African National Sanitation Policy stipulates that sanitation systems which have unacceptable impacts on the environment cannot be considered to be an adequate form of sanitation. Th...

1. What do we mean by "sanitation"? The first challenge for countries seeking to solve the problem of access to sanitation is to define what “sanitation" really means. The second challenge is to decide what aspects are the most important. In other words, what aspect of the problem is going to be dealt with as a priority. This problem is not a simple one and many professionals confuse the two st...

Throughout Africa, the population in urban areas is increasing rapidly beyond the capacity and the resources of the cities to accommodate the people. In Sub-Saharan Africa, the majority of urban dwellers live in informal settlements served by inadequate sanitation facilities. These areas present unique challenges to the provision of sanitation, and there is inadequate information on access to i...

BACKGROUND The accessibility to improved water and sanitation has been understood as a crucial mechanism to save infants and children from the adverse health outcomes associated with diarrheal disease. This knowledge stimulated the worldwide donor community to develop a specific category of aid aimed at the water and sanitation sector. The actual impact of this assistance on increasing populati...

The global sanitation divide is narrowing. However, in many countries in Asia and Africa, the gap between rural and urban sanitation coverage is rather widening. Moreover, there is an increase in the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), notwithstanding to the already high burden of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). A scientific query is building on how the global 'sanitation for all' g...

Globally, an estimated 2.5 billion people lack access to improved sanitation. Unimproved sanitation increases the risk of morbidity and mortality, especially in protracted refugee situations where sanitation is based on pit latrine use. Once the pit is full, waste remains in the pit, necessitating the construction of a new latrine, straining available land and funding resources. A viable, susta...

BACKGROUND WHO and UNICEF have proposed an action plan to achieve universal water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) coverage in healthcare facilities (HCFs) by 2030. The WASH targets and indicators for HCFs include: an improved water source on the premises accessible to all users, basic sanitation facilities, a hand washing facility with soap and water at all sanitation facilities and patient care...

BACKGROUND While the sanitation ladder is useful in analysing progressive improvements in sanitation, studies in Uganda have not indicated the sanitation barriers faced by the urban poor. There are various challenges in shared latrine use, cleaning and maintenance. Results from Kampala city indicate that, failure to clean and maintain sanitation infrastructure can lead to a reversal of the pote...

Abstract This part discusses sanitation from the perspectives of health and well-being. In particular, we focus on socio-cultural aspects water, sanitation, hygiene (WASH) in relation to health. First, discuss social determinants (SDH) with an in-depth gender, cultural, economic disparities that impact access quality sanitation. We also spotlight workers, who play a significant existing systems...