In Nepal, only 46% of the population has access to latrines against water supply coverage of 76%. The gap thus between sanitation and water supply facilities is over 30%. About one third of the 75 districts have sanitation coverage less than 20%; 10 districts in the Tarai and 14 in hills and mountains. The coverage among the rich people is 80% whereas it is just 12% among the poor. Similarly, the coverage in rural areas is 21% and 53% in urban areas (SACOSAN: Nepal Country Paper, 2006). Among the public and community schools, only 41% of them have latrine facilities. However, only two-thirds of the schools have sufficient facilities and one-fourth have separate facilities for girls. Solid waste and wastewater problems are growing rapidly as there is a massive population influx into urban areas in recent years. The rate of growth of per capita waste is also growing coupled with poor drainage affecting safe water. The practices of rampant open-air defecation particularly in the Tarai has badly contaminated the water bodies and put public health at stake. Annually some 13,000 children under five die of diarrheal disease due to poor hygiene and sanitation (UNICEF: 2005). Nepal continues to bear the loss of some 10 billion rupees each year in terms of health expenses, loss of productivity and adverse effects in tourism due to poor hygiene and environmental sanitation (SCNSA: 1999/2000). Children and women among the poor and disadvantaged communities are the most affected. It has given a great setback to the dignity, identity and pride of the people. The barriers and challenges for the slow progress of sanitation could be summarized as follows:
- Hygiene and sanitation is the least prioritized within the national budget, and investment in the water and sanitation sector is inadequate to keep pace with the overall rise of global aid;
- Lack of uniformity in approaches of hygiene and sanitation financing;
- Out track of poor, disadvantaged and high risk group from the mainstream have been the constraints to maintain equity, ownership and participation;
- Urban sanitation especially of solid and liquid waste management is a challenge; and
- Ineffective translation of policy into action due to inadequate coordination among the sector actors.
The present trend, if maintained, shows that sanitation coverage will reach 60% of the total population against the MDG of 53% by 2015. The trend also shows that sanitation coverage will reach 62% against the National Goal (NG) of 100% by 2017. These figures show that Nepal can easily achieve the sanitation MDG but has a great challenge to meet NG which requires almost a double increment of the present trend of latrine construction from 148,000 to 320,000 per year. Nepal has thus recognized IYS-2008 as a good opportunity to work with world communities from across the globe and for a effective policy level break-through.
