Creating user-friendly water and sanitation services for the disabled : the experience of WaterAid Nepal and its partners

Traditional coverage of access to basic amenities like water and sanitation has inadvertently excluded the needs of the disabled. Discussions of inclusion often regard women, children and other disadvantaged groups while overlooking the needs of disabled or differently-abled persons.
 WaterAid Nepal (WAN) outlines the problems faced by the disabled in the country in accessing water and sanitation (WASH) services in a new discussion paper The paper studies the impact of the lack of user-friendly WASH services for disabled on health, dignity, economic and social exclusion, especially of women and puts forward solutions addressing these needs. One in ten Nepali are disabled and one in six poor people are likely to be impaired meaning that almost every poor family has a family member with an impairment according to WAN. The paper discusses the social, technical, and financial barriers to WASH services for disabled persons and a lack of implementation of relevant policies in Nepal. Generally, increased coordination between different actors and stakeholders is called for to address these issues. Solutions such as the development of a community resource plan, raising awareness and participation and know-how regarding the development of accessible and safe latrines are important for all communities since one “member of the community continuing to practice open defecation, due to inappropriate infrastructure, could mean the whole community continues to suffer from disease and illness.

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