WaterAid Nepal : position paper on sanitation (2005-2010)

Sanitation coverage is lagging far behind in Nepal. Seventeen million Nepalese defecate in the open air every day (threequarters of the population). The latest UN Millennium Development Goals report indicates that in rural areas 70% of the population does not have basic sanitation facilities, and in urban areas the figure is 19% (United Nations/National Planning Commission, 2005). Access to sanitation is not only low but also inequitable, with 42 of Nepal's 75 districts having sanitation coverage below the national average (WaterAid Nepal 2005). The past two decades have seen a number of efforts by government and civil societies to accelerate coverage and quality of basic sanitation facilities in Nepal. However, the experiences of WaterAid Nepal and its partners gained through implementing sanitation programmes, as well as various research projects, have raised a number of issues that are yet to be satisfactorily addressed by government and major sector players. Nepal's significant lag in sanitation is not an assumptions and this reality is not only having an impact on the health and productivity of individuals, groups and communities but is also damaging the environment at the nation level.

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