Water services and HIV / AIDS : a guide for local government councillors and officials responsible for water, sanitation and municipal health services

The hygienic use of appropriate water and sanitation facilities is essential, particularly for people living with HIV/AIDS. Municipalities have an important role to play in ensuring that water and environmental health services address the implications of HIV/AIDS.

Careful consideration of these implications for water services policy, planning, regulation, delivery and provision, together with effective health and hygiene education, will contribute to integrated water and environmental health services that address the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS, and reduce the impact of the disease.

This report intends to assist local government water services and environmental health officials with planning and implementing water and sanitation services, together with health and hygiene education, in order to reduce the impact of this disease. It sets out a framework for municipal responses to HIV/AIDS and highlights ways in which HIV/AIDS can be mainstreamed into water and sanitation planning, regulation, implementation and provision. In order to clarify the institutional complexities in water and environmental health services, it provides a model, strategies and indicators for the implementation of project-related health and hygiene education in this context. As municipalities work towards achieving service delivery targets, the role of user education, particularly in health and hygiene, needs to be prioritised so that the benefits of these services are maximised.

This report promotes greater commitment within municipalities to implementing effective health and hygiene education. The strategies outlined in the report will assist municipalities to put effective institutional arrangements in place.