WASH

Article

56 sections

Contents

Components
Drinking water services
Groundwater
Sanitation services
Fecal sludge management and sanitation workers
Hygiene
Purposes
Health aspects of lack of WASH services
Categories of health impacts
WASH-attributable burden of diseases and injuries
List of diseases
Diarrhea, malnutrition and stunting
Neglected tropical diseases
Additional health risks for women
Health risks for sanitation workers
Effects of climate change on health risks
Effectiveness of WASH interventions on health outcomes
Gender aspects of lack of WASH services
Time required to collect water
Violence against women
Gender norms for occupations
In non-household settings
In schools
Outcomes from improved WASH at schools
Methods to improve WASH in schools
Group handwashing
In healthcare facilities
In prisons
Challenges in WASH implementation
Equitable access to drinking water supply
Urban low income areas
Polluted water sources
Failures of WASH systems over time
Working conditions of sanitation workers
Climate change aspects
Greenhouse gas emissions
Direct emissions (Scope 1)
Indirect emissions associated with the energy required (Scope 2)
Indirect emissions related to the activity but caused by other organizations (Scope 3)
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions
Negative impacts of climate change
Influence of climate change on waterborne diseases
Climate change adaptation
Adaptive capacity for climate resilience
Approaches for planning and implementation
National WASH plans and monitoring
Women's empowerment
History
Society and culture
Global goals
Awards
United Nations organs
Awareness raising through observance days
By country and region
See also
References

WASH (or WatSan, WaSH; stemming from the first letters of "water, sanitation and hygiene") is a sector in development cooperation, or within local governments, that provides water, sanitation, and hygiene services to communities. The main purposes of providing access to WASH services are to achieve public health gains, implement the human right to water and sanitation, reduce the burden of collecting drinking water for women, and improve education and health outcomes at schools and healthcare facilities. Access to WASH services is an important component of water security. Universal, affordable, and sustainable access to WASH is a key issue within international development, and is the focus of the first two targets of Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6). Targets 6.1 and 6.2 aim for equitable and accessible water and sanitation for all. In 2017, it was estimated that 2.3 billion people live without basic sanitation facilities, and 844 million people live without access to safe and clean drinking water. The acronym WASH is used widely by non-governmental organizations and aid agencies in developing countries.

The WASH-attributable burden of disease and injuries has been studied in depth. Typical diseases and conditions associated with a lack of WASH include diarrhea, malnutrition, and stunting, in addition to neglected tropical diseases. There are additional health risks for women, for example, during pregnancy and birth, or in connection with menstrual hygiene management. Chronic diarrhea can have long-term negative effects on children in terms of both physical and cognitive development. Still, collecting precise scientific evidence regarding health outcomes that result from improved access to WASH is difficult due to a range of complicating factors. Scholars suggest a need for longer-term studies of technological efficiency, greater analysis of sanitation interventions, and studies of the combined effects of multiple interventions to better analyze WASH health outcomes.