Countrys half population without sanitation

Pakistan

Countrys half population without sanitation

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The countrys half of the rural population is surviving without adequate sanitation.

23 September,2012 06:37 pm

It may lead Pakistan off-track to meet the projected Millennium Development Goals (MDG) target of 67 per cent, said an official, requesting anonymity.According to an official the economic impact of poor sanitation and hygiene results in an annual loss of 3.94 per cent more of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as demographic transitions over the last 30 years have led to a marked increase in urban and peri-urban populations, compounded by on-going conflicts and humanitarian crises, which has an enormous impact on planning for sanitation and drinking water services.The official said Pakistan falls within the highly vulnerable zones of climate change and its inextricable link and need to develop its adoptive capacity, resilient water and sanitation system and disaster risk situation.The official added that the government was planning to develop a National Sector Action Plan comprised of provincial action plans to effectively implement national policies on sanitation and drinking water as well as behavioral change by December 2013.“The sectoral allocation of enhancing water supply and sanitation by 1 per cent till 2015 of overall PRSP allocation to partially meet the resource gap of $600 million for global MDGs target of sanitation and drinking water,” said the official, adding that the government has also planned to set up a WASH specific task force on disaster preparedness and response as well as disaster risk reduction by end of this year.