Nepal's Sanitation Campaign in the Terai
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GLOBAL SANITATION FUND IN FOCUS December 2019 Sprinting the Last Mile: Nepal’s Sanitation Campaign in the Terai While tremendous strides towards eliminating open has concentrated since 2014 on the southern Terai defecation have been made across South Asia, some plains, the challenging ‘last mile’ of Nepal’s Sanitation of the region’s most dramatic progress has been Campaign. Despite the region’s daunting socioeconomic achieved in Nepal. Hovering between only 2% and challenges, the programme successfully contributed 6% in the 1980s and 1990s, the percentage of people to accelerating sanitation coverage in eight Terai with access to sanitation accelerated to over 99% by districts from around 13% to near universal coverage mid-2019, according to the Government of Nepal. On in just over four years, according to data from the 30 September 2019, the Government of Nepal declared Government of Nepal. the country ‘open defecation free’ (ODF) and is rapidly scaling-up access to safely-managed sanitation services This issue of ‘GSF in Focus’ documents the success as the next priority. factors for ending open defecation and accelerating access to improved sanitation and hygiene services The Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council in the challenging Terai region. While focusing on (WSSCC) is just one of the sector partners supporting the Terai region specifically, many of these lessons the implementation of Nepal’s sanitation campaign are applicable to other regions in Nepal and can be – an intensive national push launched in 2011 to relevant to other countries’ sanitation campaigns. achieve a dramatic transformation of the country’s While recognizing the unprecedented progress sanitation and hygiene practices through a behaviour towards ending open defecation, continued focus on change approach. WSSCC’s Global Sanitation Fund transforming social norms is needed to sustain ODF (GSF) Nepal programme, executed by UN-HABITAT, achievements. 1 GSF IN FOCUS: SPRINTING THE LAST MILE IN NEPAL Acronyms & Abbreviations Acknowledgements CLTS Community-led Total Sanitation A special thank you to the following individuals and organizations: D-WASH-CC District Water Sanitation and Hygiene Coordination Committee • The Government of Nepal, especially district, VDC, municipality, and ward leaders and staff from GSF Global Sanitation Fund Jhapa, Morang, Saptari, and Sunsari. NPR Nepalese rupee • The UN HABITAT team in Nepal: Sudha Shrestha, Rajesh Manandhar, Madan Malla, Pawan Joshi, NHSSC National Hygiene and Sanitation Yasoda Shrestha, Sunita Pradhan, Krishna Sedhain, Steering Commitee Gaurav Chaudary, Rena Joshi, and Bhushan Tuladhar. ODF Open Defecation Free • GSF Nepal’s implementing partners operating in USD United States Dollar Jhapa, Sunsari, Saptari, and Morang for facilitating field visits: Birat Community Learning Center, VDC Village Development Committee Human Development Center, Sahara Nepal, Sagarmatha Community Development center, Nari VDC-WASH-CC Village Development Committee Bikas Sangh, Sabal Nepal, Good Neighbours Nepal, Water Sanitation and Hygiene Motherland Women Society, National Dalit Social Coordination Committee Welfare Organization. WASH Water Sanitation and Hygiene • WSSCC’s Patrick England, Matteus van der Velden, WSSCC Water Supply and Sanitation Ailsa Jones, Carolien van der Voorden, and Eileen Collaborative Council Palmer. • Photos (c) WSSCC Exchange Rates This document uses an annual average interbank exchange rate (2018) of 110 NPR/USD. Figures are rounded for simplicity. 2 WSSCC’S GLOBAL SANITATION FUND THE SANITATION CAMPAIGN IN NEPAL The recent surge in sanitation coverage began with the formulation of the National Sanitation and Hygiene Nepal’s ODF definition Master Plan in 2011. Prior to the development of the Master Plan, sanitation and hygiene was not a priority Nepal’s Sanitation and Hygiene Master Plan in government planning and budgeting, there was established a clear definition of open defecation incoherent targeting of priority areas, and a multitude free (ODF) status for the sector: of different – and often conflicting – implementation approaches were used by sector partners. Sanitation There is no OD in the designated area at any coverage lagged significantly. In 2011, only 37% of the given time; country had access to sanitation facilities, compared to All households have access to improved 2 80.4% with water supply. sanitation facilities (toilets) with full use, operation and maintenance; To address these gaps, the National Hygiene and All the schools, institutions or offices within Sanitation Steering Committee (NHSSC) convened the designated areas must have toilet facilities. key line ministries and sector partners to develop In addition, the following aspects should be a Master Plan outlining a roadmap for achieving national targets, delineating clear responsibilities, and encouraged along with ODF declaration process: harmonizing approaches and definitions. Availability of soap and soap case for handwashing in all households Key elements of the Master Plan: General environmental cleanliness including management of animal, solid and liquid Sanitation and hygiene identified as a WASH sector wastes is prevalent in the designated area. priority, and as a distinct funding area from water supply Clear responsibility of local government authorities The Master Plan development process and resulting to lead sanitation and hygiene interventions through document successfully rallied Nepal’s WASH sector multi-sector coordinating committees dedicated for around a pragmatic vision and strategy, led by the sanitation and hygiene at every level Government of Nepal and with strong support from An emphasis on promoting and harmonizing non- external support agencies. It was also successful in subsidy, behavior change based interventions, attracting international financial support for realizing although exceptions are specified for people in Nepal’s sanitation and hygiene targets – including vulnerable situations financing from WSSCC’s GSF. Since the inception of the Master Plan, sanitation coverage accelerated by Eliminating open defecation was established as the an average of 7% per year (compared with an average sector’s primary objective. It is envisioned that a of 4% per year over the previous decade), with the second post-ODF phase, termed ‘Total Sanitation’, Government of Nepal declaring the country ODF in will subsequently reinforce continued toilet use 2019. and handwashing with soap, personal hygiene education, and environmental sanitation (safe However, the southern strip of Terai districts lagged handling/treatment of drinking water, solid and behind. In the final years of Nepal’s ODF campaign, the liquid waste management, food hygiene and general Terai was recognized as the final hurdle to move the cleanliness for households and public institutions). campaign forward. 2 Government of Nepal. (2011). Sanitation and Hygiene Master Plan. Retrieved from: http://washinschoolsmapping.com/wengine/wp-content/ uploads/2015/10/Nepal-Government-Sanitation-and-Hygiene-Master-Plan.pdf 3 GSF IN FOCUS: SPRINTING THE LAST MILE IN NEPAL FIGURE 1 Nepal Sanitation Status: 1990 - 2019 100% NMSS16 80% DHS16 Department of Water Supply and Sewage (DWSS) reporting AHS15 AHS16 MICS14 Household surveys AHS13 60% LSMS10 DHS11 CEN11 MICS10 40% NMIP08 BCHIMES00 20% CFSVA05 DHS01 LSMS96 0% 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 % POPULATION WITH ACCESS TO IMPROVED TOILETS IMPROVED TO WITH ACCESS % POPULATION YEAR Government of Nepal, December 2018. Adapted by Mark Ellery The GSF-supported programme in Nepal The GSF-supported programme in Nepal (‘GSF Nepal’) UN-HABITAT is the Executing Agency of GSF Nepal, and was conceived in late 2010 to support the Sanitation is responsible for overall fund management, technical and Hygiene Master Plan, which was being finalized. support and monitoring, evaluation, and reporting. The programme’s two phases - to ensure first that six Activities on-the-ground are implemented by local million people live in ODF environments and second NGOs in close coordination with local governments and that they use improved sanitation and hygiene services other partners. The National Sanitation and Hygiene - received a total commitment of USD 11.4 million from Coordination Committee serves as the Programme WSSCC. The programme currently covers 19 districts, Coordinating Mechanism, providing strategic guidance including 10 in the Terai region, with a focus on and embedding the GSF programme within the national behaviour change and strengthening local government campaign. At the sub-national level, government-led capacity and systems. WASH coordinating committees similarly steer the programme locally. FIGURE 2 GSF Nepal programme progress: 2010 - 2019 5,000,00 APRIL 2015: New constitution adopted, includes JULY 2012: right to safe water sanitation Kaski declared first ODF district in Nepal APRIL 2015: 4,000,00 Nepal earthquake JUNE 2013: Programme expanded SEPTEMBER 2019: to Terai districts Government of Nepal declares the 3,000,00 country ODF OCTOBER 2011: Sanitation and Hygiene Master Plan published OCTOBER 2010: 2,000,00 Programme launched MAY - SEPTEMBER 2017: Local government elections 1,000,00 JUNE 2015: under new construction Supported by GSF Nepal, Bardiya declared first ODF district in the Terai 0 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 September PEOPLE LIVING IN COMMUNITIES DECLARED ODF 2019 YEAR UN-HABITAT Nepal Annual Reports 4 WSSCC’S GLOBAL SANITATION FUND FIGURE 3 GSF-supported districts