Toilets – The Unglamorous Solution for Saving Lives and Improving Human Development in Asia
Bangkok - Toilets may seem an unlikely catalyst for human progress, but the evidence is overwhelming: almost half the
developing world lacks access to sanitation, according to the 2006 Human Development Report.
Coverage rates in South Asia are almost as low as in Sub-Saharan Africa, with two of every three people in both regions
lacking access to basic sanitation. Half the people of East Asia lack access to sanitation.
Sanitation improvements can advance human development. They can protect people – especially children – from disease and
ill health. They can help lift people out of poverty, raise productivity, boost economic growth and create employment,
according to the 2006 Human Development Report -- Beyond scarcity: Power, poverty and the global water crisis.
“Lack of toilets is a drain on human development,” says Hakan Bjorkman, Deputy Resident Representative for the UN
Development Programme (UNDP) in Thailand. “Increasing access to water and sanitation could have huge benefits, not just
for people’s health and survival, but also to develop economic opportunities, reduce poverty, improve the situation for
women, and increase chances for education,” he says.
The global water crisis claims more lives through disease than any war claims through guns, says the Report. In fact,
diarrhea kills six times more people than armed conflict does. Around the world, 1.1 billion people lack access to
water, of whom 720 million are in Asia. There are 2.6 billion people who lack access to sanitation, of whom 1.9 billion
are in Asia.
What are some of the human costs? Some 1.8 million children die each year as a result of diarrhea – which is 4,900
deaths a day, one every 17.6 seconds. At any given time, almost 50 per cent of all people in developing countries are
suffering from a health problem caused by water and sanitation deficits. Roughly 443 million school days are lost each
year through water-related illnesses.
The biggest barrier to progress is the unwillingness of national and international political leaders to put sanitation
and safe disposal on the international development agenda, according to the Report. Making matters worse is that women’s
voices are seldom heard, whereas women consistently rank sanitation high on their list of priorities for a life of
dignity and good health. Studies from Cambodia, Indonesia and Vietnam found that women consistently place higher value
on having a toilet than do men, reflecting greater disadvantages women face through insecurity, loss of dignity and ill
health associated with having no decent sanitation.
Cities such as Jakarta and Manila have lower levels of sewerage coverage (8% - 10%) than West African cities such as
Dakar and Abidjan. In Manila, pit latrines are widespread while waste treatment and disposal infrastructure is
underdeveloped.
Some governments have a strong track record in providing access to sanitation. Since 1990 Thailand has increased the
national sanitation coverage rate from 80% to 100%. Progress in rural areas has been particularly marked: more than 13
million people in rural areas have gained access in two decades. Every district has been required to identify coverage
gaps from the village upwards – and to develop strategies for closing them. Government agencies in Thailand developed
technologies that were affordable and accessible to the poor, provided training in maintenance and financed revolving
funds to meet the capital costs. Community health programmes have increased awareness of the health benefits of
sanitation.
If we continue as we are, we will miss the Millennium Development Goal of halving those without access to water by 234
million people. Approximately 800 million people will still lack access. The sanitation target will be missed by 430
million people, with 2.1 billion in total still without decent sanitation. If we take action and meet the targets, more
than 1 million lives could be saved over the next decade. Economic benefits could amount to $38 billion.
Water and sanitation suffer from chronic under-funding. Public spending is typically less than 0.5% of GDP. This figure
is dwarfed by military spending. In Pakistan, the military budget is 47 times the water and sanitation budget.
The Report outlines some steps for progress in improving access to sanitation:
Better political leadership – Sanitation must be part of their national development policies
Service providers must respond to the needs of communities, with women having a voice in shaping priorities
Innovative financial arrangement or subsidies must be established, extending financial support to the poorest households
to ensure sanitation is an affordable option
Address inequality by identifying who has access and who does not, with explicit targets set for reducing inequalities
based on gender, wealth and location.
ends