On 22 March every year the WHO South-East Asia Region joins global World Water Day celebrations to raise awareness of the need for all people in the Region to have access to safe and clean water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) as a pre-requisite to achieving health and well-being for all. An estimated 71% of the global population has access to a safely managed drinking water service and 90% have access to at least a basic service. That leaves approximately 785 million people globally who lack access to even a basic drinking water service, including 144 million people who are dependent on surface water. Across the world, one in four health care facilities lack basic water services, contributing to health care-associated infections and the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance. To achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6, on water, and SDG 3, on heath, WHO will continue to support all countries in the Region to unlock the full value of WASH for every community everywhere.
The Region must sustain and accelerate progress across a range of key indicators. Between 2000 and 2018 access to basic water services in the Region increased from 80% to 92%. Since 2007, countries in the Region have implemented more than 5000 urban and rural water safety plans, which have been supported by improved regulatory frameworks and technical capacity. Coverage of basic sanitation services across the Region is now close to 70%, while several Member States have achieved coverage of more than 90%. All countries continue to prioritize the improvement of WASH in health care facilities, which is a core component of the Region’s primary health care approach to achieving universal health coverage (UHC), one of eight Flagship Priorities. Member States from across the Region continue to identify and mobilize resources to address WASH-sector gaps, strengthen existing water surveillance mechanisms, and build climate resilient health systems, as per the 2017 Malé Declaration.
The emergence and spread of COVID-19 has underscored the importance of achieving universal access to safe and clean WASH. Hand-washing with soap remains one of the most powerful ways to stop the virus from spreading, and has been a focus of the society-wide public health measures that countries in the Region have implemented from the beginning of the response. Amid ongoing vaccine roll-outs, it is imperative that WASH resources continue to be provided at the entrance to public or private commercial buildings and at all transport locations. Targeted efforts to scale up WASH in health care facilities must continue to be a priority to prevent COVID-19 transmission and to enhance the quality of care over the near and long term. Globally, inadequate WASH is a major driver of health care-associated infections, which account for an estimated 8 million deaths every year, most of them in low- and middle-income countries.
To facilitate progress on these and other indicators, WASH sector stakeholders must continue to promote action across sectors, with a focus on several priorities. First, ensuring that WASH services are delivered and financed by a multitude of stakeholders, from national and local government authorities, to utilities, regulatory bodies, communities and households. WHO guidance and tools must continue to be adopted, adapted and implemented, for which multisectoral stakeholder buy-in is crucial. Second, continuing efforts to extend WASH service coverage to communities who are unserved or underserved, including through targeted resource allocations. Where appropriate, service upgrades should continue to be carried out to ensure all facilities remain fit for purpose. Third, strengthening partnerships to coordinate action that is aligned with national policies, plans and strategies, and which builds national capacity. Specific attention is needed to define and monitor WASH targets to promote accountability and ensure that course corrections can be made as and where required.
Water is essential to life, and access to safe and clean WASH, including at health facilities, is critical to lifelong health and well-being. In the Region and beyond, health sector stakeholders must continue to work across sectors to identify sustainable, affordable and scalable WASH solutions that Member States can adopt and implement on their journey towards the Region’s Flagship Priorities and SDGs 3 and 6, on health and water, respectively. On World Water Day, WHO reiterates its commitment to achieving a Region and world in which safe and clean WASH is accessible to every community everywhere.