How important is water and sanitation services in reducing poverty and enhancing peoples lives?
Imagine Nepal in lasting peace, and free of poverty. Nepal – where quality of life guarantees human dignity for every children, women and men. But the reality, however, is that every year 10,500 children die, before their fifth birthday, from water related diseases caused by lack of safe water and effective sanitation services. Women and girls in rural areas travel long distances to fetch a bucket of water. In doing so, girls often miss schools and also fall sick at times. Many urban communities face acute water shortages. Water bodies are increasingly threatened by pollution as you can see from the rivers around you. Despite its importance to public health improvements, poverty reduction and environmental protection, sanitation has had a low profile when compared to water . Simply put, water and sanitation sector is in a stage of moral “crisis” – a crisis which does not capture national headlines, but I think the one that can be more catastrophic in the longer run. Safe water, effecti