Rural Sanitation Coverage Declines - Minister

from All Africa

The Herald (Harare)

Zimbabwe's rural sanitation coverage has declined to 30 percent in the last eight years because of Cyclone Eline and the successive droughts that eroded households' economic capacity, a Cabinet minister has said.

Officially launching the International Year of Sanitation 2008 in Harare yesterday, the Minister of Health and Child Welfare, Dr David Parirenyatwa, said Cyclone Eline destroyed ablution infrastructure in rural areas.

The United Nations General Assembly established the Year of Sanitation to accelerate progress towards meeting the Millennium Development Goals. "A number of toilets were destroyed as a result of Cyclone Eline in 2000 and the ability of many peasant families to construct their own toilets has been reduced," Dr Parirenyatwa said.

He also said the successive droughts and the low national economic performance made it difficult for households to mobilise resources to replace broken down ablution facilities and sunken wells. Zimbabwe's rural sanitation coverage had improved from 7 percent at independence to 60 percent in 2000 while that for urban areas had remained at 97 percent since independence.

The departure of skilled labour to perceived greener pastures has also impacted negatively on efforts to increase sanitation coverage. "The economic challenges that Zimbabwe faces have had a negative effect on the ability to retain competent skills at all levels," Dr Parirenyatwa said.

To achieve the MDGs target of 63 percent sanitation coverage by 2015, he said Zimbabwe would have to build 63 000 toilets every year for the next seven years. This was a mammoth target given that Government was only in a position to construct 18 000 toilets a year.

Dr Parirenyatwa called on researchers to devise sanitation facilities that are friendly to physically challenged people and those living with HIV and Aids He said local authorities should improve waste collection as a direct measure of guarding against cholera.

Dr Parirenyatwa said cases of cholera increased in urban areas when sewerage and water supply systems failed especially in 2006 and 2007.He discouraged people from buying bottled water saying out of the 46 registered companies only 21 were certified.

United Nations Development Programme acting Resident Co-ordinator Dr Festo Kavishe, who praised Government for the political commitment given to sanitation issues said 40 percent of the world population which is about 2.6 billion including 980 million children live without improved sanitation.