Sanitation: Stakeholders briefed on policy draft for FATA

Deadline to achieve targets set for 2030.

PESHAWAR:

Over 80% of the population is forced to defecate in the open due to poor sanitation coverage in five regions of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata), said Unicef consultant Rashid Rehan. 

He was speaking at a session held on Wednesday to discuss a sanitation policy draft for the tribal belt. The session was organised by Fata’s Directorate of Local Government and Rural Development with the support of Unicef.



According to Rehan, FR Bannu, South Waziristan, FR DI Khan, Mohmand Agency and Orakzai Agency are the some of the areas which are deprived of basic sanitation facilities.

During the session, Rehan briefed stakeholders on draft proposals aimed at improving sanitation in Fata. “Through this policy, we hope to provide affordable sanitation facilities and sustain good public health and environmental outcomes for all [of Fata’s] citizens,” he said.

A question of disparities

Rehan voiced concern over rural-urban disparities in the provision of sanitation facilities. He cited facts and figures from Fata’s Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) 2007 to highlight the magnitude of the problem.

“In 2007, 77% of the urban population had access to sanitation facilities while only 26% of the rural population had access to these facilities,” he said. According to Rehan, only 35.5% of urban households had properly functioning septic systems.

“We plan to integrate the sanitation programmes with other policies,” he said. “This includes our policies on water resource management, housing, city and town planning and health, among others.”

Another objective of the policy is to encourage community involvement in efforts to improve sanitation facilities, Rehan said. “We are planning to introduce wastewater treatment and solid waste management at household, community and institutional levels,” the Unicef consultant said. This will enhance the capacity of government agencies and other stakeholders to improve sanitation facilities, he added.

Goals and targets

According to Rehan, 2030 has been set as the deadline to achieve this target.

“By 2030, we plan to provide access to adequate and affordable sanitation at homes, schools and health centres,” he said. “Special emphasis will be placed on catering to the needs of women.”

Rehan added the local government in Fata and the federal government have pledged to provide financial assistance to achieve this target. “A regulatory body shall be set up to monitor industrial and municipal effluents so as to ensure they comply with environment regulations,” Rehan said.

Speaking to the media, FATA Local Government Director Fayaz Ali Shah said awareness of water supply and sanitation is limited in the tribal belt. “The main purpose of this session is to obtain suggestions from various stakeholders on how to improve awareness about this issue,” Shah said.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 27^th, 2014.